A New Life
by Wingedmidnight88
Summary: The barrier was broken and the Monsters were finally free. Frisk was looking forward to their new life with their friends and new parents. They weren't eager to go back to humanity just yet. (My first Undertale Fanfic! Focusing on Post Pacifist ending with agender, semi non-silent Frisk. No pairing (yet) except cannon. There are a few OCs with potential to be in plot later on.)
1. Nightmare

Frisk bolted upright in their bed in their adoptive mother's new home on the surface. The child's eyes were wide with tears that bubbled over and streamed down their cheeks. They were remembering again, what happened before the barrier was finally broken, had this been their confrontation with Asgore, King of the Underground? There were so many timelines, so many of their deaths they relived, often nightly- they couldn't tell them apart anymore. But, the part that stood out the most when they stood on their wobbly legs, was the look of utter regret on the monster King's strong, chiseled features as he asked, ". . . Ready?"

The child tried their best to stand their ground but their entire body shook with fear, they were absolutely _terrified_ by the king. Not so much because of his stature or deep rumbling voice but what he felt he had to do, he had to kill them, and it was tearing him up inside.

Initially, Frisk had begged quietly, meekly, for him to stop, they didn't want to fight him, there had to have been a way to have a happy ending, didn't there? The king hesitated at their words but continued his advance toward the comparatively tiny child, his massive crimson spear ready to strike. And strike it did, and as many times as Frisk dodged it with their newfound expertise, the king was simply too fast and strong for them and he finally impaled his trident spear through the child. The last thing they saw through their hazy vision before they slipped into death were tears streaming down through the fur of the king's face.

Frisk now buried their face in the blanket and sobbed as quietly as they could because even through the grief and fear, they didn't want to wake their mother, she had comforted them so much already, even if she didn't exactly understand why her child suffered such night terrors. She often stayed up late to hold them in her arms in her bed or reclining chair and run her paw over their brown hair lovingly and hum a familiar lullaby.

The child refused to go back to bed, the last thing they needed was to relive the horrors of dying time and time again. They wondered if anyone would ever understand what they were going through, the only one they could think of was Flowey- Asriel, rather, but he was long gone and Frisk was alone with the burden of remembering too many timelines, too many deaths.

They decided to get a glass of water and got out of bed but pitched forward, nearly falling facefirst on the hardwood floor, their legs feeling gelatinous like a Moldsmal. Their hand shot out and grabbed the short post of the bed and seemed they to hover for a moment, suspended by only their small arm. They straightened and wiped at their nose with the back of their hand sloppily but stopped in mid swipe and remembered that their mother couldn't stand it when they did that. They instead wiped at their eyes with shoulder of their pajamas and walked to the door and opened it as silently as possible before padding down the hall in their bare feet, past the Toriel's room, past the room where a basement would be were it an exact replica of her home in the ruins- before going through the living room and finally to the kitchen sink. They never liked drinking water from the bathroom that she had installed for her human child- and preferred to make the trek to the room farthest from their own.

Frisk sat at the dining room table and sipped the tepid water from a glass, trying not to go over the memory again and again in their mind. Maybe someone else was still awake, maybe they should go for a walk- but then, Toriel would worry about her little one if they did though. They looked up at the clock, it was about five in the morning. The monster Queen didn't have a television to distract Frisk with, she mainly only had books she brought from her old home in the Ruins. The only ones that had a TV that Frisk watched occasionally with them were the skeleton brothers, Sans and Papyrus. They'd grown close to the eccentric siblings and became like family to the human child. Frisk wondered if they would mind if they came over... The child shook their head, no, better to not encumbrance anyone else, they resolved to themself, and remembered someone told them that they were a child of sacrifice- that they were a 'Cinnamon Bun'. They thought about that... It was Alphys that had said this after she'd gotten her claws on access to the human World Wide Web and explored in excess for hours on end. Frisk had given the reptile scientist a look of confusion and couldn't understand what a cinnamon bun had to do with them. A Cinna-bunny, _maybe,_ if anything.

The child decided to take their chances and take a walk through the woods where their house was situated, hoping that it would calm them down a bit.

The monsters decided to settle in the forest on Mt. Ebbot as sort of a baby step into the surface world. It turned out to be a good idea because it allowed the humans to slowly acclimate to the monsters. As Frisk slipped their coat on and shoes they thought about leaving a note for their mother but figured they weren't going to be out long anyway. They opened the front door as quietly as possible and stepped out into the early morning, the cool breeze fluttering their bangs and cooling the remaining sweat on their face. The sun was still asleep and the stars were still awake in the clear night sky. Frisk was glad that they hadn't moved to the city or anywhere where there were large populations of humans, they didn't think they were ready to face them yet.

The child walked down the path from their mother's home that sat atop a hill, further away from everyone else from the Underground. When Frisk asked her why her home was farther from everyone else's, she said that she was used to it because she had been away from others for so long. She wasn't anti-social or particularly reclusive but she preferred it this way. Frisk could understand what she meant and they wouldn't have it any other way. They stared at the ground as they walked, their small feet crunching through the carefully laid out gravel path.

They were caught up in their thoughts of the most recent nightmare when they bumped into someone about a foot and a half taller than them. Frisk started with a yelp and stepped back and looked up to see Sans eying them with the pinpricks in his eye sockets with that perpetual grin of his, "Hey Kiddo, shouldn't you be in bed?"

Frisk murmured something about not being able to sleep and kicked at the pebbles. Sans nodded knowingly, "Yeah, I can get that. Walk with me, huh?"

The two walked along the path, both had their hands jammed in the pockets of their coats and only the grinding of pebble trail could be heard from them until the skeleton decided to speak up, "So, you wanna talk about it?"

The child glanced up at him before looking back down to the ground and wondered if they actually _should_ say anything. It was uncommon for them to actually speak and they mainly relied on gestures or expressions to speak but this seemed different, like they were desperate for someone to _hear_ their thoughts, ". . . I. . . I was remembering from before the b-barrier, after I met you in th-that big hallway..." they said, their quiet voice slightly raspy from lack of use.

The skeleton always liked to hear the child's rare voice and he perked up considerably to hear them better, "Yeah? What about it?" He prodded carefully.

"Asgore killed me." They blurted out and slapped a hand over their mouth and looked up at his back, horrified.

Sans froze and looked back to the child who had stopped, "Asgore? _King_ Asgore?"

Frisk looked like they were trying their best not to cry and didn't look up at him, seeming guilty for accidentally spilling the beans.

Beads of sweat formed on the skeleton's skull and he took a step toward them, "You said you were _remembering_ from before the barrier broke."

The child just slowly nodded and felt like they were going crazy, he didn't believe them, they knew it.

The skeleton knew he was taking a chance when it came to questioning the kid but he needed to know if this was absolutely true, "Not that you were _dreaming_ it. That you remember dying _before_."

Frisk bit the inside of their lip and shifted from one foot to the other, all the while not looking up at him.

There were a few moments of silence before Sans chuckled humorlessly, as if he was relieved. It was as if a burden lifted off the skeleton, it was _about time_ they said it. He'd known all along in the back of his mind, that they had some sort of power over the timelines.

If this was some kind of joke, Frisk didn't find it funny in the least, and they looked up to see Sans watching them, the small glow in his eyes shifting from white to a more comforting blue hue, "I _knew_ there was something different about you, Frisk. I knew you knew things that someone your age should have _no business_ knowing."

Frisk was startled that he believed them so readily and that he had said their name, his voice and demeanor so serious, so uncharacteristic, it almost frightened them. They couldn't help thinking, _'Did he know all along?'_

Sans didn't take his eyes off them, "So, that means you remember other things too, huh? Does anyone else know about this? Does Toriel?"

They shook their head again but didn't say anything as tears streamed down their cheeks. They weren't usually upset so easily, something they'd learned to reign in a long time ago but... This particular topic was a bit sensitive.

"Does that mean you were the one 'Resetting' everything?"

Frisk looked up at them in shock and put their hands up, never would they do anything to ruin the life they had. They shook their head vigorously, "I never want to do that! I-I- They-.." They stuttered and slowly their words dissolved into tears and then quiet sobs and they buried their face in their hands.

Sans looked startled by their sudden emotional outburst, "Hey, hey, hey! It's alright, buddy, I believe you." He did the first thing that came to mind; he moved in front of them and and suddenly enveloped them in his coat in a hug. "I know you want this happy ending as much as everyone else, maybe more, huh?" He said as he rested his jawbone on top their head. He could feel their little heartbeat through the bottom of his ribcage and hoped that it would slow down soon, the last thing this kid needed was to go into cardiac arrest or something. They must have been bottling all this guilt up and it was finally leaking out, it was only a matter of time before something worse happened. They both stood there for a few more moments until the child's sobs dissipated and Sans cleared his throat (somehow, despite not even having a throat) and held Frisk at arm's length, "Hey, why don't you come over, huh? Got a spot on the couch with your name on it."

Before Frisk could say anything, Sans had already dug a hand in his jacket pocket before whipping out his phone, "I'll text Tori and tell her where you are."

The child waved their hands frantically, worried, they didn't want to upset her!

Sans' bony thumb of one hand danced across the touch screen of his phone as he kept an arm wrapped around them through his jacket, "Don't be so worried, Bud. Look, I'll even show you what I'll send her." He turned his phone to face them in their spot burrowed in one side of the garment; 'hey tori, frisk is with me. having a rough night and wanted to give you a breather'

Frisk seemed think this over as Sans gave them a grin, "Yeah? We good?"

They gave him a reluctant smile and nod before he sent it and swept them up in his arms around their waist, "C'mon, I know a shortcut."

Before the child could protest, there was a quiet ' _whoosh'_ and Frisk realized they'd had their eyes clamped shut. When they opened them, they were getting a good look at the fabric of Sans' shirt as he still held onto them, it smelled like bones and metal (somehow?).

Frisk unburied their face from his torso and looked up at him and then tried to look back to see where they were now, knowing the mischievous skeleton's tendency to randomly appear in places. He let them down and gave their back a pat before disentangling them from under his jacket, "Pap is still asleep so we gotta be quiet." He said as he went to open the front door, trying to be as silent as possible, his brother tended to get cranky if he didn't have exactly seven hours and twelve minutes of sleep, strangely enough. The door creaked slightly as Sans entered, he wasn't really expecting company and he'd fallen asleep on the couch again and left pillows and blankets scattered about. He kicked off his gray slippers and shrugged off his signature jacket before shoving all but one of the blankets and pillows to one side. He gave a sigh as he sort of fell back into the squishy couch and patted the spot next to him.

Frisk seemed reluctant as they stood in the doorway, wringing their hands.

"C'mon, you're letting all the AC out, pal." He joked, knowing full well that their house had no air conditioning.

Frisk closed the door quietly and took off their coat and shoes and put them in a neat little pile by the door (the brothers apparently never heard of a coat rack) and made their way over to the couch and climbed on, they'd been there enough times to make themselves at home but always ended up acting like the polite house guest as they sat stiffly in their spot. Sans gave them a weird look and reached over to poke them in the side, "Hey pal, loosen up. Relax and unwind, huh?" He said as he tossed the blanket over his jacket on top of the couch and stuffed a pillow behind his head.

They gave a giggle and covered their mouth with a hand when they got poked in a ticklish spot in their ribs. They glanced up at the exposed upper story and didn't hear any protests from the taller of the two brothers before Frisk scooched a little closer to Sans. He noticed they seemed to need some contact as they fidgeted in their spot, watching the muted television so Sans leaned over and tapped their shoulder, "Hey, c'mon kid. You're family and you gotta admit, you're looking awfully _'bonely'_ over there."

They stifled a snicker at the pun and looked over to see him lounged on the couch with one foot on the floor and the other up on the couch, he beckoned with a wave of his fingers, he knew they didn't like asking for anything and they seemed grateful when they crawled over to him and sat in the space in front of his lounging leg. He pulled them to his ribcage and let them rest their head back as he pulled the blanket down over them, covering himself halfway to sort of tuck the child in. "There isn't much on this time of night but we can put on a movie if you want-" He looked down to see them dozing off and gave a little chuckle as they struggled to keep their eyes open. Frisk jumped when they felt the vibration through his chest from his chuckle, before they murmured a sleepy 'sorry'.

Frisk turned in their spot and leaned against their friend's chest and felt a faint _thrum_ from deep in his chest, it was soothing, kind of like a heartbeat, was it his soul doing that? Was that how he was slightly warm and a bit _pudgy_? Did all monsters do that? Frisk had always thought skeletons were scary and they were terrified when they first saw the slightly round monster when they turned around right after leaving the through the giant stone door from the long corridor from Toriel's home. Sans wasn't much taller than them but they got the distinct impression right away that he was much older than them. Something behind the glow-pupils in those near empty eye sockets said that there was more to him than met the eye.

Sans, on the other hand, amazed at how fast this kid could fall asleep in someone's company. Maybe they needed to feel safe and he wondered what kind of life led them to fall down that hole like the six other kids, was it on purpose? He shuddered inwardly at what he would have done had he not kept his promise to Toriel to protect them. He realized a while ago that something was _off_ with them, not in a bad way- like they'd been around the block a few times despite being so young. They didn't seem to have parents to speak of or even speak much to begin with, and he always marveled at how they conveyed their mercy without words. In this case, actions _did_ speak louder than words. He shook his head and tilted it back against the pillow, maybe some company might help _him_ sleep a little more soundly.


	2. Paperwork

**Not sure if I need to but wanted to remind anyone who read the first chapter that this story is a bit slow, don't say I didn't warn you!**

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Sans awoke to the smell of breakfast and was surprised that he wasn't woken up by his brother clomping down the stairs or yelling at him. Maybe Papyrus knew that his older brother been having trouble sleeping although it was a bit strange for the taller of the two to be so quiet, _especially_ in the morning. Sans moved to stretch his arms but felt a weight on his torso and he looked down to see a mass of hair poking out from under the blankets that covered him. He remembered now, he had been out for a walk after waking up from a particularly disturbing nightmare; he had been holding his brother in his arms and watched as the life faded from his eyesockets before turning to dust, leaving only his chestpiece and scarf in his hands. He had bumped into Frisk earlier this morning around five or so and invited them to stay.

He gently moved the hair from their face and smiled when they made sleepy noises and shifted as they stirred from their sleep, "Hey champ, sleep good?" He asked as they rubbed their eyes and looked up at him.

Frisk gave a small smile and a nod before they tilted their head questioningly at him.

"How'd _I_ sleep?"

They nodded and seemed concerned.

"I slept better than I did last night, that's for sure." He said and tousled their hair.

If he had skin, he would have jumped out of it when Papyrus decided to finally say something as he poked his head through the archway to the kitchen, "Brother! You awaken! I thought you needed to rest because you actually stayed up all day yesterday!" He narrowed his eyes, "Somehow.." He noticed Frisk in his lap and did a little gleeful dance, "Human! I did not know you were here! Will you be staying for breakfast?"

Sans had a hand over where his soul was to catch his breath(without lungs), "Jeez, Pap, almost gave me a 'soul attack'."

They opened their mouth to decline but Sans spoke up, "Yeah, why not? I'm sure Tori'll be fine with it." He said as he dug through the pocket of his jacket on the head of the couch and pulled out his phone to check for messages. He tapped the back of Frisk's head with the back of his hand holding the phone and moved it in front of them to show them the message from Toriel, 'Thank you, Sans. Please tell Frisk that I would like to speak to them when they return home. (No, they are not in trouble)'

Frisk initially seemed panicked but relaxed at the last statement she had sent to him.

Sans tapped away on the digital keyboard with both hands as he held the phone in front of Frisk, 'anytime, tori. i'll let them know, they should be back after breakfast if that's cool with you' he typed and hesitated, "Sound good?"

Frisk watched the skeleton type his response to their mother and nodded when he asked them and appreciated that he would make sure they were comfortable with what he was sending to her. They shifted a bit as Sans pulled his arms from around them to send the message and allow them to get up.

The human wandered into the kitchen to see the tall skeleton cooking, they couldn't see what it was but it smelled like pancakes. They thought he refused to make anything other than spaghetti. Papyrus noticed their presence and looked down at them, "Ah, Frisk, I was trying to make something new! The queen has taught me new recipes!" He said exuberantly and gave their head a pat.

After a surprisingly good breakfast, Frisk decided that it was time that they head back home. They gave Papyrus a hug around his legs and got swept up in a bony hug, "Oh human, it was so nice of you to come over." He said as he rubbed the side of his skull against their face affectionately. They giggled and planted a kiss on his cheekbone, making him yelp in surprise, "Ah! A trap!" He let them down and they went to Sans he stood by the door, waiting for them. Frisk pulled on their jacket and shoes before heading out with Sans to be walked home. The skeleton offered his hand to them and they took it in their own smaller hand and walked down the path together, greeting various monsters on the way.

When they got to Toriel's house, they could hear her arguing with someone, someone with a very deep voice that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. For some reason, Asgore must have been over. Frisk looked up at Sans, whose semi-permanent grin was slightly downturned and his bony brow was furrowed a bit. He decided to knock on the door, mainly to disrupt whatever they were arguing about and turn their attention to Frisk.

There was a shuffling and last muffled word before the door opened to reveal Toriel, "Oh dearest, you're home, did you sleep well?" She asked as she looked down at them and reached to cup their face briefly.

Frisk nodded and leaned to the side to try and look past her to see Asgore standing a bit away with a serious expression.

Toriel seemed to have decided to ignore her soon to be ex-husband and focused on Sans, "Sans, thank you for your hospitality. I'll have to think of some way to repay you."

Sans' usual relaxed grin returned to his face and he waved a hand dismissively, "Nah, we're good. Glad to have them over."

Toriel gave him a warm smile and took Frisk's hand, "Come, Love, we need to talk about something important."

They glanced up at Sans with a brief worried expression, he gave them an encouraging wink with his left eye, "See you around, Kiddo." He said and ruffled their hair, his tone saying more than his words; 'you'll be fine, don't worry'.

They seemed to relax a bit as they were led to the dining room to see papers scattered on the table. Asgore smiled down at them, the expression not quite meeting his eyes, "Frisk, so good to see you again." He said as he followed them to the room.

Toriel sat them down in their usual spot across from herself at the table and Asgore pulled up another chair that was a bit too small for him. Toriel shifted some of the papers around, "There have been a few issues with the humans. They say that in order for you to stay here, I have to 'legally' adopt you. I suppose they do like their paperwork.." She said before clearing her throat, "The problem therein lies as to who you would like on this form, there are two spots, for both parents." She held it out to them as well as a blank birth certificate.

Frisk seemed confused as to what the problem was, wasn't it obvious? They supposed not, judging by the look on their mother's face. Toriel seemed to have taken their expression as something else, "You do not have to decide now, Frisk. The only problem is that during our last visit to the nearby town, the human Mayor took it upon themselves to investigate your past."

Frisk's eyes widened and Toriel noticed, "They could not find any information, Dear. Only where you were living at in the orphanage."

The child shook their head, they didn't want to think about the past. All they remember was how they felt no one wanted them.

Toriel slowly stacked the papers, "I'm afraid I do not know much about your past, Dear One. They would like us to fill in the blank spots for their records." There was a pause of silence before she continued, "Unfortunately, until the paperwork is finalized, they want to keep you at the orphanage or with a foster home."

Panic rose in Frisk's chest and they nearly fell over in their chair and before they knew it, they were speaking, "B-but, why can't I stay here?"

Asgore took this time to speak, startled by the sudden and rare use of their voice, "Frisk, we would ensure that you are well taken care of until this whole mess is settled, someone would visit you often- if not every day, please, do not worry yourself, Little One."

They seemed to relax just a little before they nodded in defeat. Toriel was heartbroken to see her child so distraught, what had happened before their fall into the Ruins?

The monster leader had sent word via letter after Alphys had researched the address. At the time, the monsters were off the grid with no established 'official' location. Alphys advised the King that the humans most likely would not react well if they immediately went to the town at the base of the mountain. Asgore begrudgingly agreed and ordered that temporary housing be set up until the meeting with the humans.

As the ambassador for the Monsters, Frisk most definitely had to attend the meeting. They had practiced in the company of Asgore, Alphys and of course, Toriel for a good week in the tent they shared with their adoptive mother at the time. Frisk read and reread the answers to potential questions the humans may have; 'where did they come from? Why was there a human child with them? Where are their parents?' Frisk didn't like that most of the questions involved them and their past and assured the three that they _wanted_ to stay. Frisk looked up from their spot on the chair that had been brought up from someone's home, "..I-I want to stay, there is no one for me to go back to."

Toriel put a paw to her mouth and seemed to be fighting back tears, "Oh dear, of course we want you to stay, Dearest. We only want you to be happy."

The monsters that went with them were of course, Asgore and Toriel and they had enlisted Undyne (who promised to be reserved and professional) as the bodyguard as well as Alphys to explain what had gone on since their exile to the mountain. Papyrus had wanted to go to protect them but Frisk managed to convince him to stay since Undyne would be going, the monsters needed someone to watch over them while the group was away. The tall skeleton puffed out his chest with pride and immediately agreed. Frisk loved the skeleton but was honestly afraid that he would scare the humans.

The mayor sent transportation to them in the form of what looked like an armored truck or van. Probably to be discrete although there wasn't much discretion when it came to transporting monsters.

Before they had all clambered into the vehicle, before it had even arrived, the group of monsters and human child were clustered in a group at the entrance and Asgore towered over them, equipped in his full armor, complete with the cloak. He spoke in a low voice, "Now, I want to give the humans the benefit of doubt but I cannot deny that there will most certainly be tension. They will most likely be armed, although with what, we cannot be sure of. Alphys? Have you any idea?"

The reptilian woman jumped when she was addressed and she nervously adjusted her glasses out of habit, "Erm, well... T-they are probably e-equiped with what are called 'guns'." She said and fished her phone out of her lab coat pocket and showed them a picture of a compact handgun. Frisk's eyes widened and they remembered guns, of course, but had never actually seen any in real life, it was a bit frightening.

Frisk was a bit surprised that Undyne didn't have much to say about the thought of the humans being armed, they supposed she was in 'guard mode' or something and she only nodded in affirmation every now and again. She donned her armor but was told to leave her helmet to avoid unnecessary fear. Her expression was stoic and it left Frisk feeling intimidated and they supposed that was supposed to be the point. She _was_ good at her job, after all, she didn't make captain of the Royal Guard for nothing.

"Be on your guard but do not do _anything_ to provoke them." Asgore turned to his child, "Frisk, they will most likely express concern as to where your parents are, as well as why you are accompanying us, just remember what we talked about and your practice and you will do just fine." The king told the child, and spared them a reassuring smile despite the seriousness of the topic. Frisk nodded and felt their DETERMINATION return a bit, renewing their confidence.

Asgore had been the first to speak up when they arrived to the huge building, he had never been the best with delegations but vowed to represent the very best of monsterkind, "Mr. McDonough, we appreciate your audience as well as willingness to discuss this matter. I am aware that you are not the leader of humanity but acting as an extension."

Frisk took note of the holster at the hip of the man in the suit nearby with darkened sunglasses. They were indeed armed and it certainly made the human child nervous. They were sure that the monsters were going to be stepping on eggshells and Frisk prayed that everything would go well.

The mayor seemed to snap out of a trance from watching the four monsters and small human child. He tore his eyes away from Frisk and looked to the imposing king, "Oh, yes of course, it's an honor to meet you. Where did you come from? What happened?"

Asgore looked to Alphys and gestured for her to come forward, "The details are within the sent missive but my royal scientist will fill you in on the going on of Monsterkind."

Alphys had done extensive research and note taking for just this purpose and informed the king and queen that monsters were seen as merely a myth or obscure legend by humans and effectively all but erased proof of their existence. The yellow reptile timidly approached and adjusted her glasses but was suddenly uncharacteristically confident and seemed to be trying her best to keep her stutter in check, "Yes, of course. Monsterkind had b-been sequestered beneath the mountain for the past n-ninety-eight years."

The mayor's eyes widened but he allowed her to continue, "Y-you see, during an unfortunate turn of events in the beginning, we were trapped and were only able to break free recently thanks to the efforts of Frisk." She said and pointed to the human child.

Mcdonough looked at them incredulously, "A _child_?"

Frisk had seen this reaction coming but allowed Asgore to speak up, "Yes, I understand it is difficult to believe but we have elected Frisk as our ambassador." He put up a paw to stop as the mayor opened his mouth to reply, most likely to argue but the King continued before he could, "They are mature beyond their years and only want the best for both races. Frisk, if you would, please."

The child straightened and stepped forward, this is what they had been preparing for, "Although my time with the monsters was short, I can tell you that they are not a danger to humans."

The mayor blinked in shock but allowed them to continue as well, entranced by their confidence, "As the ambassador for the monsters, I speak for them when I say we only want peace." There was a sense of satisfaction and pride when Frisk had said 'we'. Unfortunately, in their experience in the past, adults did didn't take children seriously and this was no exception.

There was a pause before the local human leader finally found his words and addressed Asgore directly, "Please understand, this is very sudden." He said, seeming oblivious to the slight furrow of the King's brow when Frisk was all but ignored. The mayor continued, "Of course we only want peace, what do you propose?"

Asgore held back a sigh, "A peace treaty and a place on the mountain for my people. Integration would be an ideal goal for the future."

There was a pause as the Mayor stroked his bushy mustache as he thought this over, "Many peop-humans, will not take that well but... I will have to consult with my advisors."

Toriel piped in, "Of course, we understand this is a very large decision. One that we will most certainly not take lightly."

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 **I wanted to touch on some points I felt needed to be addressed such as humans and their love of paperwork and red tape, Frisk's official adoption, etc. I hope I protrayed everyone well in here, please tell me what you think!**

 **I want to eventually add more fluff in it when all this stuff is said and done...**


	3. Important Meeting

**I hope whoever has been reading this likes it! It would be amazing if someone left a review to provide me with some feedback (and a bit more confidence..). I try to keep each chapter at _least_ 2500 words. I would like to make them more but, eh, what can you do?**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

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Asgore paced outside the office of the mayor with the other monsters and Frisk, impatiently awaiting the response from the mayor, his long lavender cloak dragging the floor. Frisk may as have been pacing right along side him as they circled a chair restlessly, their shoes softly thudding on the carpet. Alphys wrung her hands and Undyne had been surprisingly quiet and impassive, standing rigidly in her spot near the door, keeping watch over her charge. Toriel looked torn between wanting to stay seated to wanting to scoop Frisk up to comfort them. But she was nervous as it was and didn't want to worsen their anxiety.

Frisk strained their ears to try and hear what sort of discussion was going on behind the double doors to the main office. They could hear the bulk of the conversation if they tried _really_ hard to listen, "Yes, no. Of course, I don't know what you expect me to do, we have the freakin' _king_ of an entire _race_ in my office, of course I need direction!"

This went on for the next agonizing twenty minutes, until the mayor and his secretary along with two security gaurds stepped out. Asgore ceased his restless pacing immediately and looked to the group of humans. The human leader wore a serious expression, "I have contacted our capital and have come to a momentary agreement; we will allow your people to stay on the mountain and in return, we ask that you remain there until there is a more permanent solution." He gestured to his secretary as she stepped forward, papers in hand and seemed shaken by the sight of the Monarch. The mayor paid her no mind, "The terms are as follows; I have been given the authority to grant you the mountain as territory. It will still remain a part of human territory but you will be able to build on it for your people."

The king took the paper and looked it over before handing it to Toriel who then handed it ultimately to Alphys. She flipped through the pages and adjusted her glasses again, "'Trade of goods and technology?'" She asked when she looked up from the clipboard and handed it to Frisk. They were startled to be included in such important paperwork that they probably wouldn't understand. They slowly took it to look at its contents, a lot of legal terminology and roundabout wording that didn't make a whole lot of sense. What they seemed to gather from it _was_ that the monsters would be able to build on the mountain and could trade but were restricted only to the mountain until further notice. That was fine with Frisk, they weren't too eager to go back to humanity anytime soon anyway.

The mayor nodded in response to the lizard's inquiry, "Yes, you had mentioned some technology in the letter sent as well as the coin could be potentially valuable."

Alphys seemed to think this over and cleared her throat before ushering the group off to the side, "The terms _seem_ agreeable. I don't know how useful our technology could be to them considering it was all obtained _from_ them." She told them in a hushed voice.

Asgore seemed to ponder this with a stern expression. Frisk silently looked up at them as they spoke amongst themselves and jumped when Toriel placed a hand on their head and gave it a reassuring rub, "It will be alright, my child."

That whole 'ordeal' had been about a week ago and Frisk sat at the table with their 'unnofficial' parents. They had been so busy in their own mind that they hadn't realized immediately that Toriel had been saying their name, "Frisk? Frisk."

They blinked and looked at her and Asgore and Frisk shook their head, telling the two that they were alright. There was no doubt about who they had chosen as their parents and they gestured for Toriel to hand the the paper to them. She complied and looked a bit worried as they looked over the paperwork. She started when the child spoke up quietly, "... I-I know you haven't forgiven him yet for what happened Underground b-but I'm willing to. I l-love you both, I don't want t-to choose."

Toriel seemed almost taken aback and glanced to Asgore as he watched Frisk worriedly. She put a paw on Frisk's hand, "Dearest, I understand, even if I do not agree. I will forgo my anger in favor of your happiness." She looked at her once husband and seemed to be trying not to glare, "I trust Frisk's decision but do not mistake that for forgiveness."

Asgore didn't seemed surprised and he gave a solomn nod, "Yes, Toriel, I understand." He said and looked to their child, "I promise I will do everything in my power to bring you happiness to match what you have provided for monsterkind, Frisk."

After the paperwork had been signed, Toriel busied herself in the kitchen as Asgore bid Frisk goodbye at the door, he knelt to their height and opened his arms to them. They eagerly all but ran into his embrace, they truly did love him as a father, even if they had only known him for a little while. He held the child close, "We will get past this, do not fret, Little One." He rumbled quietly to them before holding them at arm's length, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Frisk. Truly." He said and wiped a paw at his eye with a chuckle, "Well, I must be going. I will see you tomorrow?"

Frisk nodded eagerly as he stood to his full height and opened the door. Frisk headed back into the kitchen after he left to help Toriel with lunch. They brought their step stool over from its spot in the corner and tugged on her sleeve. She looked over at them as they stood just below her height, "Oh, I'm sorry, Frisk. I suppose it has been quite busy, hasn't it?" She said with a weary chuckle and gasped when she was hugged from them. She untagled her arms from under theirs to return the embrace, "If you can find forgiveness in him, then I will try to as well." She said as she stroked their hair fondly.

Frisk didn't expect forgiveness to come to her anytime soon and they were a peace with that, they understood. They were still worried about the humans' paperwork but did their best to push that aside and enjoy their time with their mother, helping her cook was one of their favorite things to do with her, second to reading and cuddling.

Lunch on the menu today were grilled cheese sandwiches and leftover vegetable soup. Frisk was glad that Toriel was branching out of most of her monster recipes, mainly for Frisk's benefit even though they had stated (begrudingly) that they would like anything their mother cook. Her maternal radar went off at the slight cringe at the mention of snail pie. She sat them down one day and told them that honesty would help her to better understand them.

They both sat at the table after reheating the soup on the stove and grilling the sandwiches in the frying pan. Frisk hesitated before digging in, their mind still in a fog with memories and all of that complicated paperwork. Didn't the humans see that they were happier than they've ever been with Toriel and the others than they had ever been amoung humans. Toriel noticed the look on their face immediately and knew it had nothing to do with the food as she reached a paw to touch their shoulder, "What seems to be the matter, Dearest? Are those forms from the humans still troubling you?"

They took a bite from their sandwich and nodded as they slowly chewed.

She gave them a patient smile, "Oh, worry not. It is as Asgore said, we _will_ get past this. I know your short life has been difficult thus far and you only wish these trying events would leave you be, but know that I will always be here for you."

They didn't expect her to agree with her unofficial ex-husband but was grateful she did. Frisk knew she would be there, even if in the back of their mind where they tried to keep negativity, they still doubted if they would have _anyone_ be for there for them, Toriel was an exception and hoped they would feel the same way completely with the rest of their new 'family' and friends. Frisk smiled, "... T-thank you, Mama."

Toriel gave a small startled gasp, she didn't expect to hear their voice so soon after before when they spoke up. She was more than pleased with the words that came out of their mouth. "Of course, Frisk. Now, eat up and then we can go on a walk."

With their mind now at ease, they happily finished their lunch. Toriel helped them with their shoes and insisted on a coat but was assured that it was quite nice out.

Frisk enjoyed walking down the gravel laid out as the path winded in and around various monsters' houses. They opened a checkpoint of sorts just outside for the humans and monsters to trade the agreed items; monster coins were converted into human money (they were found to be quite valuable to the humans), technology such as USB drives chock full of the history of monsters, old computers that had been refurbished by Alphys and the unique food that only grew in the Underground. In return, the monsters received food and water supplies as well as building materials for their establishment.

Frisk was happy that there had been an agreement between the two races but still felt extremely uncomfortable about having to go live with other human children in the orphanage even if it was only for a little while. They tried not to think about their time there, the bullying and the shook their head was determined to enjoy what time they had with their friends and family. The mother and her human child headed on the path through entrance to the settlement that was slowly growing into a prosperous town- down their usual path between the trees and by small ponds. They always loved to go with her to bug and snail hunt but liked especially to see how things changed each time they took the path such as flowers that had been tightly closed buds were now opening into beautiful blossoms.

The walk was quiet and uneventful and that was something Frisk seemed to be grateful for. When they returned home, Toriel asked if they wanted dinner, they shook their head, telling her they were still a bit full from lunch. She nodded and planted a kiss on their head before they headed to their room to do the schoolwork she had made out for them the day before. She wanted them to be able to integrate into human society as well as have some basic skills, both monster and human alike.

Frisk opened the door to their room, it's walls plain wood with a Mettaton poster, a framed picture of them with the skeleton brothers posing for the photo (Sans thought he was terribly clever with the rabbit ears behind Frisk's head) and a tattered banner with the Royal Symbol. They went over to their desk that Toriel had set up for them, its surface had cups with pencils and a few paint brushes as well as a few unfinished drawings they had scrawled out. They liked art and were grateful that Toriel had bought the supplies for them but felt they tended to draw things from memory, particularly the stranger parts of it. They opened their worn study book and got to work. They were fairly well in literature and english but not the best with math and found that they were fascinated with science. It took them a good twenty minutes to get through the math problems in the form of multiple question and had to consult their notes they'd compiled for such an issue. By the time they had finished their schoolwork, they were drained, mostly from the news of having to go back to live amongst humans. They left their room and headed to the livingroom with papers in hand to where Toriel sat in her old reclining chair, crocheting something in brown yarn.

She looked up, "Oh, done already! Wonderful." She said as she was handed their finished schoolwork.

They asked her what she was making since it was early spring, "Oh, yes. I know it is early in the year but when better to get started on winter wear?"

Frisk smiled in agreement and waited until she finished the round on the project when they decided to give her a hug. Toriel smiled and put her work in the nearby basket and hugged back before putting them on her lap.

Frisk smiled in agreement and gave her a hug. Toriel smiled and and hugged back before pulling them onto her lap. "I know it has been a trying day, Dear One, but this will be over before you know it. I will help you pack, yes?"

They nodded a bit somberly and told themself that they trusted Toriel implicitly and knew she would not let them down. She gave them a reassuring squeeze, "It will be alright."

Toriel led them to their room and helped them pack clothes, their toothbrush and other necessities into an old suitcase Alphys had found at the Dump and given to them. Frisk's mother bid them goodnight after they had taken their bath and changed into their pajamas and reassuring them yet again that they would not be alone this time around and that they had friends who would do anything to make sure that they were happy during their stay at the orphanage until everything had been settled.


	4. Temporary Arrangement

Frisk slept fitfully, their dreams plagued by memories dug up from their past by the day's events; the children at the orphanage teasing and bullying them again for not speaking as much as the other kids as well as not clearly identifying as a 'one-or-another' gender and were often left out of activities. Unfortunately, Frisk had seen friend after rare friend get adopted and often wondered, what was wrong with _them_? Further back in their memories were those of their actual parents, Frisk didn't remember much of them, and always got a very uncomfortable knot in their gut whenever they thought about them, like it was a place in their mind they shouldn't be in.

The child woke up and looked at the clock, it was about three in the morning. They couldn't remember what the actual dream had been about, just that it made them squirm with discomfort. Something about horrible people from in their past being replaced with their friends. It was _almost_ as bad as nightmare from the night before but they still didn't want to go to bed anytime soon. The rolled out of bed and went to their desk and clicked on the light before looking out the window to see the stars through the clearing the house was situated by. They pulled out a journal from middle of the three drawers and began writing. They kept a record of all the dreams they could remember. They weren't sure how much good it was actually doing in the long run but it seemed to be helping at least a little to lessen the unease they felt in this moment. They looked up at the clock to see that it was about the same time as it had been last night, about four in the morning. They set their head down on the desk and closed their eyes, frustrated.

They opened their eyes and started with a snort, their breath fluttering the pieces of paper on their desk by their face as they rested it on the desk surface. They'd fallen asleep at the desk and there was a little puddle of drool where their mouth had been. They hastily wiped it away with a sleeve and looked out the window, it was definitely morning. They gathered up their papers and stacked them neatly before returning them to the drawer. Frisk rubbed their eyes and looked up at the clock again, it was nearly eight o'clock. It was about the time they normally woke up anyway. They pulled a new short sleeved shirt out of the dresser drawer before heading to the bathroom. They pulled off their long sleeve shirt and tossed it in the hamper and brushed the morning-breath taste out of their mouth in front of the mirror. They eyed their reflection, their slightly tan skin scattered with tiny scars from their journey Underground. The noted the bags under their chocolate brown eyes and wished they could get enough sleep. Frisk shook their head before pulling the nearby brush through their shoulder-length brown hair before putting on the new shirt and going to greet Toriel. She was almost always awake before them and Frisk wondered sometimes if _she_ was getting enough sleep either.

Toriel was busy in kitchen and looked up when she heard her child's bare feet on the wooden floor as they came to greet her, "Oh, good morning, sleepyhead, did you rest well?"

Frisk smiled and nodded as they went over to her to investigate what she was making. They took a whiff and smiled, it was oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. She noticed and looked back down at them, "I thought I would try something new, does it smell good?"

They gave her another smile and hugged her side when she put the spoon down. She turned and hugged them back, "My, you're affectionate today, did you have another bad dream?"

They gave her a shrug through the embrace, wordlessly telling her that it wasn't so bad. She stroked their hair with a paw, she'd learned a while ago to translate their gestures and expressions rather than try and force them to speak, knowing that it would most likely make them unhappy.

After enjoying their breakfast together, Toriel and Frisk headed out the door to greet the human social worker. The woman was smartly dressed in a business skirt and jacket outfit, she was flanked by two men in suits wearing sunglasses and Frisk wondered if they were also armed, pobably, they looked the same as the man in the mayor's office. The woman's heels were threatening to snap under her feet as she trudged through the gravel through the main entrance. Frisk was a bit surprised to see all of their monster friends near the exit and most of the monsters milling about stopped to greet the human child. Frisk yelp in surprise as they were grabbed at the waist from behind and picked up in someone's teal and muscular arms. The small human immediately recognized her by her smell, clean and fresh, like a river. Undyne held them tightly but not enough to cause harm as she swung them around enthusiastically, "You'll be back before you know it, Punk!" She said and gave them a noogie, causing them to cry out and giggle in protest.

After Undyne set then down, it was Payrus' turn, the tall skeleton seemed to be trying valiantly not to cry as he knelt to them, his eye sockets watering and ready to spill over with tears. Frisk admired his attempt to keep a strong front they wrapped their arms around his neck and he picked them up, "Oh Frisk! I so wish you did not have to go! We will have to make big plans for when you return!" The child gently planted a kiss on his cheekbone and earned a loving rub of his skull against their face in response before being reluctantly put down.

Sans stood next to his brother as he waited for his turn and opened his arms to them for a hug. Frisk practically leapt at him as they rushed over. He chuckled as he spun around with them in his arms from the momentum before stopping and holding them in an embrace, resting his bony mandible on top of their head before leaning away slightly to press his forehead to theirs and give them a rare nuzzle, "You're gonna be just fine, pal. I'll be with Papyrus when he goes to see you, yeah?" Frisk smiled at the skeleton equivalent of a kiss, they always loved it when the aloof skeleton showed any kind of affection toward them as he ruffled their hair when he released them.

Alphys shyly approached Frisk and suddenly hugged them, "I-it'll be okay, Frisk. We c-can binge w-w-watch that new anime I was telling you about the other day w-when you get back!" She said quietly and Frisk always thought it was a bit of treat when Alphys had enough courage to hug them or give any physical contact. They nodded in agreement and gave her a squeeze before letting go. They were glad she was only a little taller than them, it made her easily huggable!

Frisk turned and spotted Asgore as knelt on one knee before opening his arms to them. They eagerly ran to him and were quickly enveloped in his hug, "I love you, Papa." They said softly but confidently to him as they gave him a snuggle into his chest, burying their face in his patterned shirt.

The King of monsters gave a low and throaty chuckle, as if he was choked up, "And I you, Little One. We will get this matter settled before you know it." He told them as he rubbed their back reassuringly.

They nodded when he held them out at arm's length and wiped near their eye with a huge thumb and gave them a tender kiss on their forehead. Frisk turned and noticed Toriel who was giving them a bit of a sad smile, as if she was trying her best to mask her sadness. Frisk ran to her next and hugged at her legs. She chuckled and picked them up to give them a big hug, "Not to worry, I will make sure everything will be here for you when you return." She told them quietly as she stroked their hair lovingly. They stayed like that for a few moments before she reluctantly put them down and cupped their face in her paws before they both turned to face the social worker.

Frisk took their luggage by the handle and walked over to the woman. She bent forward so her face was more level with theirs and smiled a rather impatient and nervous smile at them before holding out her hand for them to take, "Are you ready?"

Frisk seemed to think about it as they looked over their shoulder at their friends and now more monsters they didn't really recognize as they waved and shouted various goodbyes and cheers of encouragement. Frisk waved shyly with a smile before nodding bravely up at the woman and taking her offered hand.

Toriel fought back a sob as she waved them off, as her child walked away hand in hand with the woman. There was _still_ a lot of paperwork to cover. She was eager to get it filled out and returned as fast as 'monsterly' possible. There was also the matter of the fee, but with the amount of human funds they received from turning in piles of monster coins, this would not prove to be an issue. She turned and looked to her child's friends as they watched them leave, many looking somber. Alphys turned and approached her, "E-excuse me your Highness, is there anything you need help w-with the paperwork? I made sure to extensively study their t-terminology, especially w-when it came to adopting."

Toriel brightened, "Yes please, Doctor. I could use the help, some of it tends to be confusing."

The reptilian scientist nodded eagerly and moved to stand by her as Asgore approached, "Shall we? The sooner we finish their precious forms, the sooner our little one can return."

Toriel's eye twitched slightly when he said ' _our'_ _l_ ittle one. She brushed it off and beckoned for him to follow her and Alphys back to her home, remembering her promise to Frisk about trusting and respecting their decision to choose her former husband as their father.

Sans and Papyrus looked to one another and the older but shorter of the two could see his brother was having a hard time understanding why their human friend had to leave. He gave him a pat on the arm, their bones clacking together gently, "It'll be alright, Bro. They'll be back and hey, we'll get to visit them tomorrow." He told him and before Papyrus could say anything, Sans seemed to have read his mind, "We won't be able to see them 'cause they gotta get settled in tonight, why don't you text 'em? I'm sure they'll like to see that when they get there."

The younger brother perked up, "Ah! Of course! I will make it the most motivating 'text' they have ever seen! Nyeh-heheh!" He exclaimed and dashed off toward their house, most likely to send them a novel's worth of a message. Sans chuckled and shook his head before pulling out his own phone from his jacket pocket and headed over to a bench beneath a tree to start on his own message to Frisk, making sure to add a few puns and jokes to try and cheer them up.

Frisk cast the settlement entrance one last lingering glance before being tugged along by the social worker. They wondered what her name was before she looked back at them and gave a smile that looked a little too fake, and suddenly, Frisk wasn't interested in knowing her name anymore. Frisk got the impression that she was one of _those_ people, the kind that found Frisk to be a nuisance. So the child donned a familiar stoic expression as they climbed into the large, van-like vehicle parked a bit away from the settlement. They almost forgot what it was like to ride in a car again and it was a little bumpier than they remembered, probably because of the beaten path in the forest. They watched the familiar buildings pass by as they rode to the group home, a lump of anxiety rising in their throat and a knot tightening in their chest.

When they entered the orphanage, it looked about the same as it had been before Frisk ran away, a bit ramshackle and old but still the same. They're not sure what they expected from it. It felt as though they had been gone for years when it was only probably a few weeks. Frisk remembered hearing about the legend of Mt. Ebbot, about whoever went there never returned. They were glad that they went, but felt sad for the reason they actually had gone up to the mountain, they hadn't expected to return or to... exist at all anymore.

They shook their head and looked up at the social worker as she gave them a small, impatient smile, "Ms. Heartson will show you to your room while I make sure the paperwork is in order, okay?" She said as she gestured to a young woman with chestnut hair snatched into a messy bun, she had blue eyes, wore green capris, a white blouse, beige flats and a warm smile. Frisk didn't remember seeing her here, she must have been new. She walked up to them and knelt on one knee, "Hey, you must be Frisk, huh? My name is Lily Heartson but you can call me Lily."

They nodded to her and allowed her to take their hand. She took their luggage in her other hand and led them down the hall, "So you're going to get new parents, huh? You must be so excited. I'm happy for you." She said, her voice sounded genuine as both of their footsteps echoed in the hall, "I don't think much has changed while you were gone, I only started working here about a week ago. I used to work in a big office in the city but decided I could be more helpful here." She continued and Frisk silently listened, most adults didn't seem to talk to them a whole lot but they were grateful for her chattering on.

The two stopped in front of an open door, Frisk peered inside to see two beds, they must be sharing the room with someone else and hoped that the other child would be nice. "You'll be staying in here with Mimi, she's a nice girl, a bit quiet like you." Lily told them as she set their suitcase down by the bed and tidied up.

Frisk tugged on her sleeve as she straightened their new bed, "Hm?" She looked at them patiently, "Oh, I remember reading your file, here, use this." She said as she pulled out a dry erase board from underneath her clipboard and handed it to them with a black marker and small eraser. Frisk gratefully took it and scribbled down on it before turning it to face her, 'thank you'.

She smiled, "You're welcome. I know you would rather be back home with your new parents but we have to follow the rules so no one gets in trouble."

Frisk nodded before erasing at the board and writing down something before turning it again, 'how long?'

"Oh, how long will you be here? Well, most of the paperwork is almost done so it shouldn't take more than a week."

Frisk nodded but started when their cellphone chimed. They pulled it out of the pocket of their brown shorts to see about seven new text messages, each one labeled to be from their friends and family. They smiled and sniffled as a tear went down their face.

Ms. Hearton noticed and went to them and knelt again, carefully brushing the hair from their face, "Oh, I know it's going to be tough, Honey. I bet you're glad to have such good friends." She said and gave them a smile.

Frisk nodded and erased their previous question to write down another. They turned the board to her, 'where are the other kids?'.

She stood and looked down at them, "A lot of them are in foster homes until they get permanent families. There are a few kids left here." She gestured to the girl's bed, "Mimi here is waiting until her brother is old enough to adopt her."

They nodded in understanding before scrubbing away the marker and writing out another question. Lily waited patiently and read over their question when they turned it back to her; 'where is mimi?'.

"Oh, she's in the visiting room with her brother, do you want to meet her?"

Frisk thought about it and shook their head, they didn't want to interrupt them. She smiled, such a considerate child. She fiddled with the silver ladybug pendant at her neck and clipped the wing covers back to reveal a tiny upside down watch face, "Hmm, visiting hours are almost over, she should be back soon, she doesn't leave the room much."

Frisk eyed the pendant with interest and almost reached up impulsively to inspect it but stopped halfway, their face reddening. She seemed to notice, and she again knelt in front of them, "Oh, I got it as a present, isn't it cute?" She said and held it to them from around her neck, letting them look it over. They nodded demurely in agreement as she stood once again, "Well, I'll let you get settled in, let me know if you need anything, okay? My office is just down the hall."

The bobbed their head again in acknowledgment and watched as she walked out the door. Rather than unpacking, they flopped onto their temporary bed and looked at the screen of their souped up phone (courtesy of Alphys), eager to see what messages they received. Frisk was about to read through their first message but heard Ms. Lily talking to someone down the hall. The other voice sounded small and quiet, much like their own, they wondered if it was Mimi that they were hearing. Frisk couldn't make out what the two girls were talking about but assumed it was about their arrival.


	5. Routine

**I honestly _love_ to write slice-of-life type things where people in it are just doing normal things. I _do_ occasionally write action-y things but not in this instance (yet). I take joy in writing little details for simple things. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do! I'll admit, I'm getting ahead of myself and dreamt someone told me it was boring. _Please_ don't be mean! D: (just PM me and tell me what you don't like or don't say anything at all)**

 **P.S. Also, since I can't draw, it would be awesome if someone would be willing to help me with a (more personalized) cover pic! My sister usually helps me but Undertale doesn't really match her style. We could figure something out like I could proofread something or whip up a little crocheted something (I'm a bit addicted to it..) in return! I have a tumblr and deviantART page under the same name if you want to see what I've done before.**

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It wasn't long until the little girl made her way to her now shared room. She walked in as Frisk was sitting up and she stared at them for a moment, her green eyes watching the other child carefully. She tucked a portion of her black bangs behind her ear and walked to sit on her own bed. There was a moment of rather awkward silence before she spoke up, her voice quiet, "I heard your new parents are monsters. It's not a very nice name to call them if they're nice."

Frisk blinked and straightened further before nodding in agreement.

She didn't seem to notice their silence as she continued, "Did humans come up with that name or did they? Did it mean something different back then?" She asked, more musing to herself than actually asking as she laid on her bed.

Frisk suddenly felt the need to speak up and change the subject, "I heard your brother is going to adopt you." They suddenly blurted and clapped a hand over their mouth.

She didn't look up and sighed, unbothered, "Yeah, I get to see him every day but I miss him, a lot. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She asked as she sat up and looked at them, her expression unusually blank.

They shook their head in response before they pulled out their phone and tapped and scrolled before turning and showing her a picture. It was a photo of Frisk with all of their friends. She peered over at it before tentatively reaching for it. Frisk hesitated but let her take the phone to get a closer look. She seemed to study it for a long moment, "They look really cool. I've never seen a monster before." She said and handed them their phone back before reaching behind and grabbing something off the shelf above her headboard, a phone of her own. She opened the old flip phone and tapped on the buttons before showing them a picture of her own.

Frisk put their phone on the nearby side table and reached for her phone. She almost pulled back but let the other child take the phone to see her photo. It was a picture of a not much younger version of Mimi with an almost-adult teenage boy who looked very similar to her, complete with dark hair and pale skin but _his_ eyes looked like a dark hazel, from what Frisk could make out on the small screen, he must be her brother.

Frisk nodded in what seemed like approval before deciding to tentatively speak, "Your brother looks cool."

She gave a faint smile and took her phone back from them, "Yeah, my brother's _so_ cool..."

Frisk grinned and remembered that was something Sans would always say about Papyrus, from the first time they met them to even nowadays. Frisk's grin faded as they looked over at her, she had taken out a book and was leafing through it slowly. Frisk had been looking through their phone and jumped when she spoke again, "Do you like monsters more than humans?"

Frisk looked at her strangely and felt sweat beading on their forehead as she stared them down. They nodded suddenly and, while it _was_ true, they felt more uncomfortable than anything from the staredown. Mimi didn't seem to notice as she nodded slowly in approval at their reply and looked off to the side, "I thought so. I don't think I like humans. Do you think when my brother can adopt me, we could live where your family would be?"

Frisk blinked in surprise and thought about it. They were sure that the two _could_ live in the monster village, they worried about _why_ she wanted to. They tilted their head to her and hoped that she interpreted what they were trying to convey.

She seemed to have understood when she glanced at them, "There isn't anywhere here us, our parents died in a car accident when I was little."

Now it was Frisk's turn to stare her down, as if they were asking for more information. She didn't seem to be bothered as she closed the book, "Kai is in a foster home, they said he was getting too old to stay in the orphanage, whatever _that_ means." Frisk waited patiently for her to continue, "He _says_ they treat him nice but they don't want me there, that I'm too _'disruptive'_." She said, indicating the last words sarcastically with her fingers. She sighed, "Sometimes I wish I'd gone to the mountain like you did, but then I remember Kai, he'd be all alone without me."

Frisk didn't say anything, there wasn't anything _to_ say. They had been in the same boat. "How old is Kai?" Frisk asked quietly, their voice cracking slightly.

She didn't look up from staring at her crossed legs, "He's going to be eighteen in about a month. I don't even have any money to get him a present. He's always telling me that he doesn't need anything, that _I'm_ a good enough present for him and that _this_ birthday will be the best because we'll get to finally stay together." Her pale face flushed, "Sorry, I don't mean to tell you all this stuff. You probably have problems of your own." She said sheepishly.

Frisk shook their head rapidly, they liked to hear her talk. She seemed to have seen out of the corner of her eye and took that as a cue to continue, "Well, he's been working different jobs and trying to find a place for us to live but..."

Her new roommate gave her a concerned look. She shook her head, "He keeps telling me; 'it will all work out', but I'm still worried... That's one of the reasons why I asked."

Frisk decided now would be a good time to say something, "I'm sure my papa will be happy to have you and him at the village." They said to her, surprised that they didn't stutter even once.

She looked at them, "I hope so, we haven't had much luck with humans. Your papa sounds neat." Frisk smiled and nodded to her. A few moments ticked by before she spoke up again, seeming to want to change the subject a bit, "How old are _you_?"

They thought about it for a moment, as if they were deciding if they should tell her or not. They decided it couldn't hurt, "I'm going to be nine in a few months." They answered quietly but seemed happy that they were getting better at talking.

She nodded, "I'm going to be nine next year." She volunteered.

They bobbed their head to her with a smile. She replied with a small smile of her own before glancing down at their luggage, "Do you want some help unpacking?"

Frisk looked to their suitcase and then back to her before nodding again. They figured that it might be a good idea to get settled in. They wondered if any of their friends or either of their parents would be able to visit them or if they had to be here by themselves the entire time.

Their thoughts were interrupted by Mimi when she spoke up, "This is a pretty locket." She said as she held it up to get a closer look at the red enamel-like surface framed in delicate gold filigree on a matching chain. Frisk almost snatched it from her grasp but realized that she wouldn't understand its value to them. They only reached out to her as a way of asking for it. She handed it to them and they slipped it over their head, feeling the weight of it on their neck provided some relief to their anxiety.

Frisk appreciated the distraction of unpacking their changes of clothes and various trinkets given to them by their friends; a worn rubix cube from Papyrus, a book of junior puns from Sans, a Mew Mew plush from Alphys, a toy spear from Undyne (she thought it was the perfect size for them despite being a plastic anime prop), a crocheted comfort cloth from Toriel and a sachet of dried golden flower tea from Asgore, to make their belongings smell like home. Frisk smiled and arranged everything neatly on the shelf on the headboard of their bed and made sure all their clothes were folded and put in the roll-out drawer under the bed.

Frisk took this time to read their texts from their friends; Toriel sent notes of love and encouragement, Sans sent encouragement in his own way (along with a few puns tossed in), Papyrus' text was quite long (as well as in all capital letters) and entailed what he wanted to do when they returned and that he would make sure everything was safe for them, Asogre seemed a bit new to the whole texting thing and Frisk knew his large paws made it a bit difficult for him so the child appreciated his efforts in this endeavor. Undyne had broken her phone and piggybacked on Alphys' message, including her own paragraph that, if spoken, would certainly be very loud.

Mimi sat up from her place flopped on her bed as her new roommate read the texts on their phone for the fourth time. The girl looked over at them and then to her phone for the time, "Dinner should be ready in the dining room soon. I've practically memorized the menu, today it's going to be- ugh, meatloaf." She said with a grimace.

Frisk wrinkled their nose, they weren't a big fan of meat in general but they remembered that particular meal served here. Mimi noticed their expression and gave an amused snort, "Yeah, exactly." She said as she got up from the bed and beckoned for them to follow her. They remembered where the dining room was but let her lead the way.

Frisk tried to ignore the other kids as they pointed and whispered and hoped that they didn't know anything about them or else they would definitely make fun of them. Frisk tried not to think about their time in the group home before they left on their journey to Mt. Ebbot. They were constantly bullied and made fun of and Frisk could never understand why or how the others were always adopted or _considered_ for adoption. What did Frisk do wrong? They hoped desperately that none of their bullies were still living here, but they doubted kids like _that_ would get adopted so quickly.

The two ate their (somewhat cold and gross) dinner, in silence before they headed back to the room with Mimi leading the way. Frisk saw a few other kids but they now seemed too wrapped up in each other to pay any attention to the new kid, for now, something Frisk was thankful for. The less they had to deal with other kids, the better.

Like clockwork, Frisk easily fell back into the habits of living in the group home, and went to the restroom to get changed into their pajamas after supper. Afterward, they headed to the empty common area and decided to give Toriel a call.

She picked up on the second ring, "Hello? Frisk?"

"H-hi, mama." They replied softly.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear from you, Dearest. How are you doing? Are they treating you well?"

Frisk quietly explained that they were okay and that they were being treated alright and told her about Ms. Lily and how nice she was. They also told her about Mimi and her brother but left out that she expressed interest in leaving the town.

"How lovely, I'm glad to hear you are doing well." She said, clearly relieved.

They told her that Ms. Lily said they would be in the group home for about a week.

Toriel could hear the doubt in their voice, "I know you do not have much trust in other humans but we will help you get through this, it will be over before you know it."

They thanked her and said goodnight before they returned to the room to see Mimi texting on her phone. She glanced up before continuing her texting.

* * *

Frisk slept relatively well which could have been due to being drained from the prior day's events. They were grateful when they slipped into a near dreamless sleep, the only memory of any dreams were of a dark figure beckoning to them. They woke up to the light streaming in from the nearby window between the two beds. Frisk glanced over at Mimi's bed to see her sitting up, still covered in her sheets. She looked up when she heard them shuffle in their bed. She smoothed her bed-head hair out of her face, "Morning." She murmured softly before moving to get up.

And so began the daily routine. Frisk got up and got dressed in the restroom and brushed their hair and teeth. They returned to the room to put their things away and were a bit surprised to see Mimi waiting for them in the shared bedroom doorway. Frisk wiped their still damp hands on their brown jumper before giving her a shy smile and following her down the hallway to the . Breakfast consisted of clammy eggs, rubbery bacon and stale-tasting toast, yep, just the way they remembered it. They washed down their food with orange juice from a box before sighing, they didn't expect it to be easy, but Frisk found themself missing their morning time with Toriel, the quiet and her company. They shook their head, this was only the first day after all!

By the time the two children were done, it was time for class. The teacher looked as decrepit as they remembered as she droned in such a monotone, it almost lulled Frisk to sleep at their desk. They were nodding off when the lunch bell rang. The teacher barely registered it as the few children dispersed from the room. Frisk went the safe route when it came to lunch, a sandwich couldn't be that bad, right? Turns out, it kind of was, a bit soggy and icky.

"Hey, look! It's 'Frisk the Freak'!" A horribly familiar voice practically shouted from nearby. Frisk closed their eyes and grimaced before turning to face the other child, making sure their face was as blank as possible. The burly boy seemed irritated by their lack of response. "Ooh! Looks like _'It'_ has a girlfriend!" He sneered at them.

Frisk wanted to roll their eyes at the 'name' the other kid gave them. Yeah, _he_ was still there. Frisk didn't say anything, knowing that would tick the bully off even more. Mimi stood nearby, watching carefully, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't want to cause any more of a scene. Frisk blinked impassively at him before turning to leave. Obviously, he didn't like that, and moved to shove the stoic child from behind. Frisk sidestepped, having seen this reaction a mile away, he was so easy to predict. Said bully fell flat on his face and cried out and clutched his now bloodied nose as he tried to pull himself up. Frisk turned to him and fought back a grin at the shock on his face at how fast they'd moved, seems they learned a thing or two while they were away.

"Leave Mimi and me alone." Was all Frisk had to say and realized they felt _much_ braver than they had before running away, they'd liberated the entirety of the Underground, they weren't going to let some other _child_ get in the way of their happiness.

The bully had tears of pain welling in his eyes as he glared at them. He didn't say anything as he picked himself up. The monster ambassador watched him hurry off in the direction of the Nurse's Office and knew that he would definitely be a problem later on. Frisk looked over to Mimi who was staring at them, her brow furrowed, as if she was trying to figure out how they moved that way. She didn't say anything as she sat down at the nearby empty table, Frisk following suit.

They knew that after lunch it was time for visiting hours, something Frisk had been nervously looking forward to and would be experiencing for the first time! Their phone beeped and they looked down at the screen. They got a fairly vague text from Toriel; 'I am so sorry, Dear One, but I will be unable to visit you today, they would like Asgore and I remain here in the office to finish up some information.'

The couldn't deny that they were disappointed, but they weren't expecting visitors, particularly so soon after arriving. As they thought about what they should send in reply, their phone chimed again as they ate their lunch in silence with Mimi. Another text, this time from Sans. Frisk blinked in surprise and opened the message; 'heya kiddo, tori probably told you that she wouldn't be able to make it, right? pap and i are gonna to see you today'

Frisk wasn't used to texting and they were slowly working on their reply to tell him that they were alright if no one visited them- when they heard a familiar voice from the reception area, it sounded a bit like arguing. Frisk put their sandwich back in the paper bag and spared a glance to a confused Mimi before quickly making their way to the sound of the voices. "Yeah, we're here to see someone." They heard Sans say, sounding a bit disgruntled.

Of _course_ it was like Sans to send the text _while_ he was there and not beforehand because he knew they couldn't argue with him that way. How did he know them so well?

Frisk pushed their way through the small group of kids blocking the doorway as they oggled the two skeletons. Papyrus wore an as-human-as-possible outfit with his 'cool guy' t-shirt, his shorts and sneakers but without the (ridiculous) basketball pauldrons on his shoulders. Frisk thought he would have been ecstatic to see other human children but he instead seemed more than a bit intimidated as he stood stock still, warily watching the group of little humans. He immediately brightened when he saw the only familiar face, "Frisk! There you are!"

Without a word, Frisk ran to him and got swept up in an almost painful and bony hug as he held them close, nearly too tightly. "Oh, I'm so glad to see my bestest and coolest friend!"

Frisk giggled and told him quietly that they saw him just yesterday. Papyrus didn't seem to notice as he shifted to support them in the crook of his arm, allowing Frisk to rest against his torso.

There was a collective murmur from behind them as the kids watched. Sans turned from signing something on a clipboard at the counter to see Frisk in his brother's arms and his expression relaxed, "Hey, how they treatin' you here, Bud?" He asked and (somehow) raised an slightly amorphous brow almost suspiciously as he waited for them to answer. They gave a slight nod in affirmation as they lay their head on Papyrus' shoulder, seeming relieved in their presence. Frisk noticed the shorter skeletal monster was dressed fairly normally as well with a plain grey t-shirt, worn blue jeans and bright blue sneakers.

Frisk looked up to see Ms. Lily making her way to the three. Frisk waved at her as she walked to stand in front of them, she looked nervous but smiled at the trio before giving a dismissive gesture to the woman at the desk behind Sans. The receptionist huffed and returned her attention to the computer monitor behind the glass. Ms. Heartson stopped and held out a hand to Sans, her other hand clutching a clipboard, "Hello, you must be friends of Frisk, my name is Lily Heartson, pediatric counselor and resident attorney."

Sans gave a nod and eyed her cautiously, as if he was wary why she wasn't freaking out more at the sight of a pair of skeletons walking about, "Yeah... I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton. This is my brother, Papyrus." He replied and jabbed a bony thumb up at the taller skeleton before slowly shaking her hand, and Frisk was relieved that there was no buzz or rude noise, he seemed to have decided to leave the pranks at home.

* * *

 **Not sure if I'm entirely happy with this scenario but I guess that I have a bit of room to work with what with Frisk being there for about a week. I've done a bit of research but couldn't find much info in the way of Orphanages or group homes and I was sort of guessing at the arrangements. If you think that I should be doing something differently, let me know!**

 **See you in the next chapter!**

 **P.S. Lily, Mimi and Kai are all OCs from different 'universes' of my mind. Some of you might recognize Mimi and Kai from another fic I wrote. Lily will be in one in the future for a different fic.**


	6. Aftermath and Visitors

**I wanna thank the most recent reviewer, 'Guest' for their encouragement to pursue the growing bond between Sans and Frisk. I want it to be family-esque because Frisk is definitely too young for any type of romantic relationship and I don't want to give the impression that it would be.**

 **I love writing this and I'm so happy that people are liking this.** **I feel myself somehow getting sucked further into Undertale and into Frisk's personality. I love it!**

 **P.S. This chapter will be focusing more on the events about what happened right after the monsters left the Underground.**

* * *

Toriel and Asgore had finally finished the paperwork a couple of hours after Frisk's departure from the settlement with the help of Alphys. The caprine woman was eager to get the two out of her home so she could make preparations to drop off the paperwork the next day. She shooed the two monsters (albeit, politely) out the door and noticed how quiet her home was without her child in it. Even though Frisk didn't speak much, there was always the soft padding of bare feet on the wood or the soft scratching of a pencil on paper while they sat quietly in the livingroom with her. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be a mother again. She shook her head, she had better things to do than feel sorry for herself. She was still technically queen of the monsters after all!

She refused to let Asgore name the settlement due to his previous un-imaginative ideas and so, for the time being, they just called it 'The Settlement' until a permanent and more suitable name could be picked.

As soon as the barrier was broken, a whole spectrum of possibilities opened up, any digital, radio or otherwise kind interference with the surface almost completely vanished. The humans had done a good job in ensure that they were effectively cut off from almost all forms of communication with the surface.

There were still other things that needed to be done like the continued construction of her schoolhouse, more homes to be built, channels still needed to be carefully dug out to allow the water from Waterfall to make a river for the Riverperson for easy access to go from the Underground to the Surface for the monsters who chose to still dwell there, for their friends and families. It had been two months since they settled down and there was still so much yet to do. Many of the Core workers were putting their skills to work as they helped build homes and small stores.

Asgore wanted to leave as much as the forest intact to preserve it, to lessen their mark on the land. Toriel had agreed with that, and helped to oversee what clearing they did do in the area. They needed the wood and other materials for the structures and Miss Muffet was happy to put her spiders to work to help fasten everything. Temporary tents were set up and trip after trip had been made from monsters' old homes to the new ones and for the first couple of weeks, lines upon lines of monsters were almost constantly streamed in and out of where the barrier had been, through the King's home and flower garden. Asgore was more than happy to open his home up to his people but even he had his limits when it came to patience.

The nearby forests now contained many homes varying from simple buildings to burrows in all sorts of sizes and shapes. The creatures from Hotland were told that it would be a good idea to stay put until they could think of something, to avoid the fiery people unintentionally burning down the forest. A majority seemed to agree but others were a little more than eager to be on the surface and it took all of Asgore's diplomatic experience to convince them that settlement just wasn't prepared for their arrival.

Muffet and her spiders preferred a nearby cave and adjoining copse of trees to settle in until she could get her bakery up and running. Grillby had moved his daughter, Fuku, along the better part of his restaurant and home to the surface, monsters had to eat, after all. Fuku still made the rather long trek down to the highschool in Hotland along with her peers until Toriel and her colleagues properly set up the school on the surface.

Undyne decided to stay with Alphys in her well established laboratory in Hotland. The dino-scientist made sure to set up numerous cameras up on the surface to keep watch on everything and honestly, she was much more comfortable with her current setup than packing up and moving everything topside, why fix it if it wasn't broken? Of course though, to make it easier on the monarch, she _did_ set up a house with an oversized, almost warehouse-like building attached to it to serve as her 'lab away from lab'.

The skeleton brothers didn't waste much time with getting everything they owned to the surface as well. Maybe it was because of their direct connection to Frisk as their friends or maybe it was what they had been waiting for for so long much like all the other monsters. The two decided to take the easiest route when it came to building their home; to make it nearly identical. Surprisingly, Sans had helped a great deal and was conscious for most of the work, something Papyrus was certainly happy and proud about but something that worried Frisk a great deal. The child had always known the stout skeleton to be lazy and easygoing and while he _seemed_ happy with all of this, there was definitely something off about his behavior and they couldn't put their finger on it. They hoped that he was alright and told themself that it was just because he was happy to be on the surface that he was acting this way.

Toriel now busied herself in her home again, nervously tidying up and cleaning out of constant habit. She ate her supper by herself for the first time in a long time and she was getting ready for bed when she got a call on her cell phone. She looked at the caller ID and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was Frisk who was calling her. She picked it up on the second ring and was greeted by the soft and shy voice of her child. After asking how they were, she was told that they were doing okay and they willingly chatted a little bit about the human woman who helped them get settled in. She was relieved that someone was showing them kindness, particularly in this critical moment of their life and, after bidding them goodnight and reassuring them that they would be back home soon, she climbed into her own bed and drifted off to sleep.

Over at the skeleton household, Sans sat on the couch with Papyrus watching some mindless human show about cooking. The program really didn't interest Sans at all, he just wanted to spend time with his brother. He watched Papyrus out of the corner of his eyesocket as he scribbled down notes eagerly, every now and then piping up with his own ideas about the recipes. Sans would usually just shrug or offer some half-hearted opinion (which the taller of the two didn't seem to mind). By the time the show was almost over, Papyrus was dozing off. Sans nudged him in the arm with an elbow, "Hey bro, c'mon, you're fallin' asleep. We should probably get to bed if we want to visit Frisk at a reasonable time tomorrow."

Papyrus jumped with a startled 'nyeh?' when he was nudged and he looked at his brother, "Yes, of course! We must be presentable to the humans and be a good example for monsters!" He proclaimed and rose from his seat before slowly turning to look at his older brother, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Sans noticed and sweat formed nervously on his skull, "What-Oof!" Was all he could get out as he was unceremoniously scooped up by Papyrus under his arms and was hefted over the younger brother's shoulder. Sans didn't protest as he was carted upstairs, Papyrus cackling a hearty 'nyeh-hehehehe!' as he almost kicked down the door to Sans' room and dumped him as gently as possible onto the mattress.

Sans sat there and blinked, trying to process what had just happened as Papyrus bounded back out, closing the door behind him and heading down the hall to his own room yelling over his shoulder, "Don't take forever getting ready, brother! That story isn't going to read itself!"

Sans shook his head and suddenly gave a bark of laughter before muttering to himself, "Well, alright then." He set about getting ready for bed, shrugging off his jacket and digging out a pair of (somewhat) clean pajama pants and t-shirt to change into from a nearby pile of clothes.

Sans parked himself at his brother's bedside to read his favorite story by heart but had the book in his hands more for show than anything. Like clockwork, the lanky skeleton was asleep and snoring softly just before the last words of the story had been read. Sans smiled and shook his head amusedly as he quietly closed the book and put it back in it's place on the bookshelf.  
He headed to his own room and stopped in front of his 'bed' consisting of the mattress with a tightly rolled up pile of sheets. He stared down at it and wondered what horrible nightmare awaited him when he eventually managed to drift off to sleep. It certainly didn't help that he also had to contend with an almost constant existential dread hanging over him. Even though there hadn't been a reset since they arrived to the surface, Sans always had a feeling that Frisk had been behind it, whether they meant to or not. Sure, he'd grown to love the kid but he _hated_ being at their mercy, never knowing what would cause them to trigger a reset. Nearly everyday, he had to tell himself not to get his hopes up, not to get too attached to this timeline because he never knew when or if it was going to be abruptly pulled out from under him and he'd find himself back in Snowdin before any of this 'happy ending' stuff was even a thought.

He knew he should be exhausted and in a sense, he was, emotionally at least- but there was always something that kept sleep from coming peacefully. He rattled his bones and shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, determined to try and get some sleep in order to 'be presentable' tomorrow. He flopped down on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling, praying to whatever God was out there to grant him a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sans was woken suddenly from his sleep not from a nightmare or memory of a timeline gone horribly awry, but by his brother knocking loudly (banging was more like it) on his door, "Sans! Wake up! We've got to make it to Frisk on time! We must be perfectly punctual!"

Sans was tempted to grumble something about wanting more sleep, but thought better of it, the kid needed their support and by God he was going to give it to them, not just because they broke the barrier, but because the kid was like a child or even younger sibling he never thought he would have.

The two skeletons had made their way through the small town at the base of the mountain and tried their best to ignore the strange looks they received from the humans. Apparently, the Mayor held a formal announcement informing his people of the town what was happening and not to worry and asked them (surprisingly) to treat them with respect and dignity. Of course it didn't stop the people from their suspicious whispers or pointing at them.

Now finally having made it to the orphanage, Frisk led the skelebrothers by the hand into the visiting room after Mimi and Kai. The child surveyed the room and spotted an empty table. They gave the little girl a shy wave as she gave them a small smile and a little wave in return from her place on the worn loveseat with the young man.

Sans took his spot at the table and Papyrus seemed a bit too energetic as he eagerly took in the sights of this new room. The older of the two brothers was careful to keep an eyesocket on Pap but turned to look at Frisk, who seemed genuinely glad about something as they brought over a box of puzzles. Sans chuckled, "Well _you're_ in a good mood, kid. What's the occasion?"

Frisk was about to answer shyly but they were interrupted, "Why, the great and powerful Papyrus is here! What else could put them in such a good mood?" Papyrus proclaimed as he slapped a hand to his chest proudly, his bones clacking together loudly.

Frisk giggled, "I'm so h-happy you guys are here." The two skeletons straightened in their seats when they spoke, eager to hear what the child had to say. Sans had the feeling they weren't done, "I-I would have been okay if no one came but I'm glad you did."

Papyrus' eyesockets looked like they were watering and threatening to spill over with tears as he looked down at them, "And leave my bestest, most coolest friend by themselves here? Never!" He said and threw his arms around the child. They allowed themself to be pulled onto his bony lap, they didn't seem to mind, like they were used to it.

They leaned against the skeleton's ribcage and ignored the stares and whispers from the other children and their visitor as Frisk told Papyrus about the jigsaw puzzle and he was immediately enamored with the Tyrannosaurus Rex shape.

Frisk sat with the two and seemed at peace in their presence, as if they had lived among monsters all their short life. They didn't say a whole lot but happily helped Papyrus solve the simple jigsaw puzzle.

The taller skeleton seemed to be quickly losing interest, "Aren't there any _harder_ puzzles, Frisk?" Papyrus complained to the child.

Frisk shook their head, "Sorry... These are pretty old and I don't think kids are that smart." They said as they gathered up the now completed puzzle and returned it to the box before looking over the other games.

Sans gave an amused snort and shook his head as he watched the two. He gave them a pointed nod, "Hey bro, when do _I_ get a turn with 'em, huh?" He asked, his tone entirely serious about the question.

Papyrus looked up from the wooden shapes on the table, "Oh! Yes of course, even though I, the Great Papyrus am their bestest, coolest friend, I suppose I _could_ share them. Would that be alright, Frisk?"

Frisk blushed, as if they weren't expecting this much attention from the two before they nodded and were carefully handed off to Sans. They fidgeted and got comfortable in his lap, finding just the niche to settle in, almost perfectly Frisk shaped. Sans waited as they got comfortable before putting his arms around them to give a squeeze, "So I hear that you'll be here for a bit, how're you feelin' 'bout bein' back here?"

Frisk shrugged as they busied themself with the puzzle they pulled over on the table, "...I dunno, it's about the same, I guess. The kids haven't bothered me yet." They said softly.

Sans watched Papyrus out of the corner of his eyesocket as the taller brother inspected a bookshelf containing puzzles, books and games, "Yeah? That's good, right? Maybe they know they'll have a _bad time_ if they bug you, huh?"

The child in his lap gave a little giggle and tried to ignore the shiver down their spine, as if they'd heard him say that before. Frisk gave a little shrug, "Maybe... Mimi is pretty nice though, and so is Ms. Lily." They said as they snuggled closer.

He chuckled and let them examine his bony hand as they ran their fingers over the metacarpals, "Well, I gotta keep my _ion_ you 'cause you to seem to have a _positive_ affect on people."

Frisk didn't understand the reference but knew by his tone that it was obviously a pun and they couldn't help giggling a bit.

Papyrus huffed, annoyed, "Brother, must you?" He scolded as he returned to the table with his hands on his hips.

Sans snickered at his brother's predictable reaction, "Sorry bro but _ion_ -estly can't bring myself to be _negative._ " He said as he winked at Frisk in his lap as they looked at him.

Papyrus stifled his shriek to a groan and shook his head as he sat back down and fidgeted.

* * *

 **I kind of wanted some pointless fluff and explanations in this chapter, I'm trying to spread out the focus to get the 'opinions' of the other characters. I would like to add a lot more things like this in the future.**

 **I tried to keep the characters' personalities as close to the game version as possible. I think I have the most trouble with Papyrus, I don't want to make him childish or naïve so it's a bit hard for me to nail down what his thought process might be. It also throws me off when other writers use all caps for his dialogue, so I don't in this one. I'm also not a fan of the _lack_ of capitalization in Sans' dialogue so the same applies for him.**

 **Sans' personality however, seems to come easy to me and he's my favorite to do!**

 **Last but not least, I want to add a _certain_ scientist (yeah, you know who!) to this fic eventually but I'm not sure how to yet. I'll give you hint, it's not Alphys. Lemme know if you have ideas! (in a PM, preferably please)**


	7. Bonding

**So, I made the mistake of going on Youtube to watch Undertale Comic dubs and came across the mini series 'Judgement Hall' by SuperShadic X250 (Original comic by** **hazespawn on** **) and not gonna lie, I wanted to bawl like a freakin' baby. I drew some inspiration for this chapter and possibly future ones. MAN!**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

The door to the home practically slammed open, "Sorry I'm late, Mimi!" A flustered young man with dark hair wearing mechanic's coveralls said as he breathlessly went over to Mimi. She didn't seem to care that he was apparently late as she ran over and hugged him. Frisk thought that it was certainly different to see him in person. Mimi pulled on her brother's sleeve and motioned for him to kneel a bit. He didn't question it and knelt on one knee and let her smooth his hair and fix his collar. He just watched her with an amused smile and jumped slightly when she pecked him on the cheek before taking his hand.

Sans noticed Frisk watching the two and nudged them with a grin in their place in his brother's arms, "You make a new friend?" Frisk looked at him and suddenly grinned and nodded eagerly before motioning to Papyrus to kindly let them down. He noticed and gave their head another nuzzle with an affectionate 'nyeh!' before letting them down. Frisk took his hand in theirs as well as Sans' and tugged for the two to follow. The brothers looked at each other as Mimi and her brother headed down the hall, the little girl clutching the teenager's hand.

Sans stopped for a moment to turn to Lily, "We good here?"

She was talking to the receptionist and turned back to face the three, "Oh yes, don't worry about the details here, go on ahead." She replied with a dismissive wave.

The shorter skeleton gave her an amused smirk, "Thanks, Ms. Heartson." He said with a wink.

The woman flushed a bit and smiled, "Of course. And please, you can call me 'Lily'. 'Ms. Heartson' sounds older than I am."

Sans chuckled and let himself get dragged off by his brother and Frisk.

"We'll just be really quick, I want you to meet Frisk before you go back to work. Please?" She pleaded and gave him her best puppy-dog look.

His only reply was a sigh, as if he couldn't argue with that logic (or frankly, that face).

Frisk noticed and immediately started waving the two over with a grin. Sans chuckled at their exuberance, their waving almost sending them toppling off his lap. He held them in place as the two humans stopped to stand in front of the three.

Mimi gave a small smile, "Frisk, this is Kaito, my big brother. Kai, this is Frisk, my new roommate, the one I was telling you has cool new monster parents."

Kai certainly seemed nervous in the presence of the two skeletons as he scratched the back of his head, "Heh, I hope she hasn't caused too much trouble for you, Frisk. Nice to meet you. Are they your new parents?"

Frisk's face turned bright red and Sans fought back a snicker in his non-existent nose. The child in his lap shook their head fervently, "Oh, no, no! This is Sans and that's Papyrus, they're my best friends." They said as they gestured at the skeleton holding them and then to the taller of the two. It was clear they weren't done with introductions, "Sans, Pap, this is Mimi, she's in the same room as me and's really nice."

Sans stuck a hand out to the young man, "Yep, Sans, Sans the skeleton. Nice to meet'cha."

Kai tentatively shook his bony hand and nodded, "Same. Frisk seems like a good kid."

Sans' grin widened, "Oh, you have no idea. We got lucky with this one, a real gem." He said and ruffled their hair.

Papyrus looked ecstatic, "Oh! A new friend! Pleased to make your acquaintance." He struck a heroic pose, "I am the Great Papyrus! Protector and best friend of Frisk!"

Kai looked a bit more relaxed and chuckled, "Nice to meet you, Papyrus." He said with a warm smile. He glanced down at his now beeping watch, "Alright Mimi, I gotta get back." He told her and planted a kiss on her forehead with a 'mwuah', and gave her a hug before turning to the three, "It was great to meet you guys, maybe I'll see you around." He said before he hurried off. Mimi waved goodbye to him and looked back at Frisk to give them another smile before heading out of the room.

After a few more games and plenty of chatting later, it was time for the brothers to get going. Frisk slid off Sans' lap as a bell chimed, signaling that visiting hours were nearly over. "Welp, sorry Frisk, but we gotta get goin'." Sans told them as they stood at the entrance to the home. Frisk looked a bit down but nodded and gave them each a hug, "I'm so happy you came to visit, I know Mama is busy."

Sans smiled and seemed happy that they were comfortable with calling the goat-monster woman their mother. He ruffled their hair and looked to Papyrus as he picked them up and held them in another hug, "What are best friends for if not for visits in their time of need?" He said with a final squeeze before letting them down. Frisk giggled and waved to them as they started off down the sidewalk toward the direction of the mountain. The human child hadn't realized until now when their stomach decided to growl in protest, that they hadn't finished their lunch.

* * *

The next day was Toriel's turn to visit and Frisk almost couldn't contain themselves when she arrived. They ran to her and hugged around her legs. "I know you're busy, Mama. Thank you for coming." They said and she picked them up to give them a proper hug.

"Oh Frisk, I wouldn't miss it for the world." She reassured them and gave them a squeeze, "Everything is almost ready, we're simply waiting for the forms to finish processing. I've been told that even though there is a bit of a backlog, it shouldn't take much more time."

Frisk wondered how such a small town could have a backlog... Probably _because_ it was a small town and there probably weren't enough people to do things...

The queen held Frisk in her lap as she chatted about the goings on of The Settlement, "The schoolhouse is nearly finished and several monsters volunteered to teach with me. Isn't that exciting?"

Frisk smiled and nodded, "Oh um, w-will there be other teachers there?" They didn't want her to be doing everything by herself.

Toriel nodded thoughtfully, "Hmm, yes, but not many, Gerson has agreed to help teach about monster history but he will not be a permanent teacher, he still has his store to mind. As for the others, you probably have not met them, they lived in the capital, have you been there, Frisk?"

They shook their head and only heard of the Capital from a few monsters in Snowdin, "N-no, I've o-only seen it... Is it nice?"

"Oh yes, it's lovely, just a bit old and worn out, like me." She replied with a chuckle.

They put their little hands to her muzzle, as if it bothered them for her to talk about herself in such a way. She smiled and gave them a squeeze, "Not to worry, I'll be around for quite a long time, my little one." She told them and cleared her throat, "Asgore seems to have decided to designate a portion of the garden just for you. He mentioned you expressed an interest in growing fruits and vegetables, did you not?" She asked kindly.

They nodded happily, "I like flowers but I think I want to grow something that we can eat." They said softly and snuggled closer to her. They didn't mention that it was one of the many things they looked forward to doing with their father.

"Well, I think that's a fine idea." She said and brushed the hair from their face.

Their other friends had made a trip to visit them at least once, apart from Mettaton and Napstablook who were on tour. Undyne had to be kept in check by Alphys during her visit (without much success). The fish woman watched over them as they played on the nearby playground for a bit before she gave in and joined them. Alphys was careful not to let her girlfriend destroy anything as she sat on the bench nearby, almost constantly checking her phone between glances.

Of course, Asgore made some time to visit Frisk, even if it was brief. The king was booked for the next few days with meetings with human officials to discuss various issues or concerns from both sides. He had Toriel and Alphys come with him for diplomatic support and Undyne and Papyrus to act as their protection. The skeleton was learning quickly about reservation and professionalism and showed a surprising amount of promise as there was not a peep from him during their last visit, he stayed silent and vigilant and Undyne was beaming at him by the time they left.

Asgore made sure to spend plenty of time cuddling, reading, and chatting with his human child. Frisk blatantly ignored the looks two received from the other children and their visitors. The unusual child and parent pair took a walk and it wasn't long before the king had to leave, well before visiting hours were over. Frisk was adamant about him not being late, and had to assure _him_ that they would be alright. They smiled and watched as he exited the orphanage, flanked by the former Royal Guards aptly nicknamed RG 01 and RG 02. They waved at Frisk before heading off to escort their king.

The week was still young and Frisk wondered if the visits were going to end. Asgore had said that Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys and Toriel would be going with him and that there would be little or no time for him or their friends to visit. Frisk nodded without complaint even if it was evident on their face that they wished it weren't so, but they knew that building strong relationships and treaties with the humans were more important than their discomfort.

There was one monster who always visited them on the days that the others were too busy with meetings and whatnot. Sans, without fail, had come nearly every day. He would watch them play with the other kids from a bench at the playground or read a story or help them with homework. The child was very shy and admittedly, a bit surprised when he showed up on the third day (not counting the day they arrived) and then the subsequent two days, like he knew that they needed someone familiar to be with them, so they wouldn't feel lonely and the same seemed to apply to him as well. The child eventually warmed up to him enough to talk a bit more, something Sans hadn't expected.

"Yep, just match up the numbers and line 'em up. Yeah, just like that." He told them as he sat at the table next to them to help them with their math problems, "Heh, told you you had this."

Frisk wrote their name and the date at the top of the page before putting it back in the manila folder covered in artful doodles and they looked up at the clock, their expression fell a bit when they realized it was almost time for him to leave. The pinpricks in the skeleton's eye sockets followed their gaze, "Ah, don't worry, Pal, there's always tomorrow. There's only a couple of days left before you can come home anyway, Tori's about to burst she's so happy." He chuckled. "Everyone's real excited that it's almost time."

They looked at him, their eyes full of wonder, "...R-really?"

He gave them a strange smile, "What're you talkin' about? Monster Kid won't shut up about how he wants to play with you and Pap has been cleaning like a madman at home, saying that he wants everything to be 'perfect'."

Frisk seemed to be thinking this over, their eyes darting with thought. Sans' smile didn't falter when he spoke up again, "Look, you showed them- us _all_ that humans _can_ be good 'cause you've gotta be the best one out there."

They gave him a shy smile, "...I-I just did what I thought was right, I would have been okay with not..." They shook their head as they left their sentence unfinished.

The skeleton saw where this was going and his grin drooped a bit and his bony brow knitted together, "Not surviving if it meant we would be free?" He finished for them.

They nodded, "...Yeah..."

He scooched himself closer to them as he sat in his chair, and put an arm around them, "Look, you're here to stay, and even though you say that _you_ would have been alright with biting the _dust_ , we sure wouldn't be. You have any regrets?"

They suddenly smiled and shook their head, "Nuh-uh, this is a _much_ better ending."

Their smile was contagious and he pressed his teeth to their cheek in a skele-kiss, "Yeah, and the great thing is that this is just the beginning."

As Sans moved the chair back to its spot and stood and watching Frisk gather up their things, he thought about how close he'd grown to them just since leaving the Underground. He tried push back those pesky pessimistic thoughts and to focus on the here and now and to not dwell on what he remembered from other timelines, but... _There was a twisted grin on the child's face that didn't match their innocent features. How innocent could they **be** if they murdered in cold dust? Without remorse? There **had** to be some good left in them, didn't there? Did Papyrus die for nothing? Believing that they could do better? _

Frisk shivered when they looked up at him, "...Sans? A-are you okay...?"

The lights had gone out in his eye-sockets as he delved deeper into his memories. He jumped when they spoke and the glow returned, he'd done it again, lost himself in the memories he'd tried to forget. He cursed himself, _'Dammit, Sans, get it together. Pap is alive and so is everyone else, get it_ **together** _.'_

He looked at their face, the innocence and kindness had been there all along and before he realized it, he suddenly put a hand to their face. Frisk seemed a bit surprised at the gesture, his hand was a bit cold but not unpleasantly so. They put their smaller hands to his and leaned into the touch slightly as they looked up at him, concerned, "What's t-the matter? Are you mad at me...?"

He looked confused at their question, "What- Oh, no, _no_ , kid." He said and realized how he must have looked and shook his head to reassure them. _'This kid...'_ He thought to himself and carefully pulled his hand away to tousle their hair. He chuckled nervously and forced his usual grin onto his face, "Heh, sorry, Kiddo."

They didn't seemed convinced as they fixed their now messy hair. "B-but, your eyes, they..-"

"Don't worry about it, Frisk. It was nothing." He said a bit more sternly than he intended to.

They flinched slightly at his tone but dropped the subject. On the one hand, they wondered what was wrong, but on the other, they had a feeling it had something to do with them. Sans noticed their reaction and held out a hand to them, "Sorry, Buddy, I just got a lot on my mind. Really, don't worry about it."

Frisk looked at his hand and took it and he pulled them into a hug. They buried their face in his shirt as he wrapped them up in his jacket, they loved his hugs and the way he smelled, like dust bunnies and faintly (strangely) of birdseed, slightly sweet and dry. They mumbled something and he looked down at them in the cave of his coat, "Sorry, I don't speak mumble, you'll have to speak up." He chuckled and pulled them away just enough to see their face from beneath the collar of his jacket.

"I s-said, I want you to know that I l-love you..." They said demurely and looked up at him. They wanted him to know that he was special to them.

A dusting of light blue flushed on his cheekbones and his eye sockets widened a bit, "Wha-.. Oh, Frisk, I know y'do... I love you too, Baby Bones." He supposed he shouldn't have looked so shocked when he saw the look on their face, as if they were trying to make _him_ feel better, wasn't that _his_ job? He knelt to be at their eye level and realized in the back of his mind that he wasn't just saying that to them as a front or an easy way out of the situation, he genuinely meant it.

He moved the hair from their face, knowing that they were trying to use it to hide, and pressed his forehead to theirs, "You don't hafta worry about me bein' mad at you, Pal. You didn't do anything wrong." He said and gave them a nuzzle. "What's got you so worked up?" He asked as he leaned back a bit, his voice surprisingly gentle as the child sniffed and wiped at their eyes, they weren't usually prone to tears like this.

Frisk looked away, they themself weren't sure why they had gotten so upset. Maybe it was the thought of him being angry at them or not wanting to be their friend anymore. They didn't know what they would do if he decided he didn't want to be around them anymore. "Sorry." They murmured quietly.

Sans internally sighed when he realized they were shutting down. He took their chin in his fingers and turned them to look at him, "Hey, it's gonna take a lot more than that to keep me from bein' your friend, yeah? We're _family_ now, you're one of _us_." He said and pulled them closer to himself in another hug.

Frisk snuggled into his torso and gave a little groan when the bell chimed, visiting hours were over. It was only a matter of time before the elderly matron would make her rounds to make sure that people were out on time everything was back in place. Frisk took Sans' hand and reluctantly led him back to the entrance of the orphanage.

He waved goodbye to them as they stood in the open door of the group home and let his mind wander again back to his negative thoughts as he headed down the street. Just how much of that 'run' did Frisk remember? They remembered getting killed by Asgore in several possible iterations, who's to say that they didn't remember their dusty reign of terror? He shook his head and ignored the looks and pointing fingers of the humans. He was intentionally not using his usual 'shortcuts' to give himself time to think without any of the other monsters to worry about, not that it stopped him from wanting to just to get away from these humans.

He wasn't sure why he visited them so loyally for the past few days if he remembered the genocide they committed so clearly. Something had certainly been _off_ with them, like they weren't themselves. As he trudged through the now dark forest, mentally made a checklist; he have to go over his notes back home and wondered if he should visit the abandoned part of the lab in Hotland, to consult the notes of another scientist and colleague long gone.

* * *

 **I tried to add a bit of bonding with Sans and Frisk so I hoped you guys liked it! It won't be much longer before Frisk leaves and goes back home.**

 **Well, I have a bit of bad news, updates will be fewer and a bit far between because the computers where I work have been shut down (heck if I know why). I usually have about an hour before I actually work and that's where a majority of the fic was written. Man, I'm so bummed about it. I'll try to have a chapter out every few days and get some writing done when I get off work in the evening.**


	8. Scientific Musings

**A/N: Well, this is the first time I'm working on a chapter completely from home and it took me a bit to get back into the swing of things. Good thing I made physical notes at work on my breaks!**

 **I hope you guys like this and it would mean a _lot_ to get a review for some feedback! I have a feeling I will eventually run out of ideas so I will gladly accept any in the review section or as a PM! Please and thank you in advance!**

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After nonchalantly greeting those that were still about in the dimly lit village, Sans made his way to the back of his and Papyrus' house and unlocked the back door to his lab. He clomped down the stairs after locking the door again and sat at the draft table with a sigh, where to start? He wordlessly sifted through the papers scattered across the surface, the whispering of the sheets the only noise in the room. He put a hand to his skull, the bone clacking together drawing him out of his thoughts, _'What am I even looking for?'_

He shook his head, there had to be a way to find out what had been physically causing the resets, to find out why such a sweet kid like Frisk went on a murderous rampage out of the blue and if it would happen all over again. After all, if he remembered right, everyone had made it to the surface just fine when everything reset. Had Frisk been unhappy about the way something had gone? Would they have been _that_ petty? Were they _still_ hung up on details? Would there be a reset if they didn't get their way? Sans groaned, so many questions and not enough information and he hated to think of Frisk this way, like an enemy.

He shook his head, could he and Frisk really have been the only ones aware of the resets? He knew Pap at least experienced dejavu but never seemed to retain any hard memories of what happened. Sans lost count of how many times he experienced the same day, the same events and conversations. He knew he killed Frisk more than once, but only after they'd murdered anything that moved. How could such an innocent child muster the will to do something so horrible?

His eye sockets widened as he realized something. He frantically dug through the papers before he fished one out titled _'Changes in Soul Pattern 01'_. Why hadn't he thought of this before? His almost illegible scribbling was hard even for _him_ to read;

 _'The most recent 'iteration' had been particularly gruesome. The only noted difference had been the pattern of their soul when I made contact with it in the 'Judgment Hall'. The feeling of it was the usual choppy, grating and possessive nature. I still can't remember connecting with something so_ **angry** _and filled with sick bloodlust. For a split second, I felt something else that was so unexpected that it caught me off guard and I was nearly decapitated by them when I discovered it. Despite the briefness of the touch when I coated their soul in my magic, it felt as if it were trying to somehow_ _ **separate**_ _from_ _i_ _tself_ _, there was an almost overwhelming sense of terror and agony from the underlying piece, I could almost hear them scream for help. It only lasted for a moment and their facial expression flickered to the terror reflected in that helpless portion of their soul. I can only describe the feeling as some sort of infection or distortion in the pattern, something else was definitely at work and it felt like something foul was piggybacking the actual soul. I've decided that the nature of this soul I've come into contact with is not the_ **true** _soul of the child. Could this be possession, maybe? Is that even a thing?'_

He spotted another faint line; _'Note: Check Gaster's lab for any of his pet projects that might be connected.'_

Sans let his arm drop and the paper slipped out of his grasp and fluttered to the floor, his breathing irregular with shock. Why hadn't he seen the signs before? Had there been so many resets that this one was too drowned in them for him to remember? Just thinking about it made him feel sick. There was only one other time that he felt something like that, something _remotely_ similar- was when the Prince took the soul of Chara, his adoptive sibling, and passed through the barrier to return their body to the surface after they'd died. There was a collective shudder throughout the Underground as the more sensitive monsters sensed the absorption.

Could Frisk have been carrying another soul? Could it have been _that_ Soul? If they had been, Chara was so full of rage and hate that it was no surprise that Frisk was shoved aside in their own mind. He remembered that day and the stories surrounding it; the Prince, Asriel had returned from the surface, mortally wounded but still carrying the corpse of his sibling before joining them in death, collapsing in the flowerbed in the Throne Room. The thought that his dust fertilized the flowers was certainly disturbing. Where had Chara been buried? Sans knew that Alphys was doing research on the flowers from the King's garden where his son died. The new Royal Scientist was trying to create a vessel for a potential soul that was neither monster nor human. In a way, she had succeeded, and the elusive, sentient plant had disappeared just before Sans left the Royal Laboratory for good. Sans had worked in the laboratory for a few years and was fairly certain that Papyrus nor anyone else alive aside from Alphys, Asgore, and Toriel knew of his previous occupation, he wanted to cut as many ties with it as possible or at least keep it a secret.

He shook his head incredulously as he brought himself back to the problem at hand, it must have taken all of Frisk's DETERMINATION to fight off Chara's possession to perform a full reset. The memory of that particular reset was grainy and fuzzy, and Frisk must have been pretty thorough. This kid was definitely stronger than he initially thought. He drummed his fingers on the table impatiently, as if he was waiting for an idea to strike him. He thought back to his own past with W.D. Gaster. The tall and spindly skeleton was his colleague and sort-of partner before 'the incident'. The man was a brilliant scientist but always walked a very fine line between morally acceptable and downright unethical, often involving experimentation on living beings. Sans looked up to him, yes, but didn't agree with some of his... decisions.

The sound of the drumming of his own fingers was starting to annoy even him and he looked at the clock above the table, it was about nine o'clock and about the time Papyrus started getting ready for bed. Sans hadn't realized how long he'd been down here and shook his head yet again, would this have to wait until Frisk was home? He found that he actually looked forward to seeing the human child, and he pushed aside the logic that he kept going to see them to keep an eye on them, it felt wrong.

Although Frisk never outwardly complained about anything, Sans noticed that lately, they looked very tired and when asked, it took some coaxing on Sans' part to get an answer. They told him that they'd been having weird dreams that kept them from sleeping properly. For some reason, they'd beckoned him to lean closer to him and when he did, he was immediately interested when they whispered that they felt like someone was watching them at night in their dreams, and it certainly wasn't their roommate, the little girl. It took some more wheedling but he managed to get a few more details from them. Frisk bit their lip, like the monster bogeyman was going to get them if they said anything. Sans mirrored a technique he would use on Pap when the younger skeleton would go to him in the middle of the night when he had a bad dream, he put a hand to their shoulder and gave it a squeeze before whispering back to them, "Hey, don't worry, they're not gonna get'cha, I wanna keep you safe but you gotta tell me what's scaring you."

They wrung their hands together and didn't look up at him, "... It's always the s-same place and same really tall m-man." The gulped and fidgeted as Sans waited for them to continue, his skull beading with sweat, why did this already sound so familiar? Frisk cleared their throat, "The room is all grey with no w-windows or doors and I can't touch him in my d-dream, he just jumps back and disappears."

It was Sans' turn to swallow nervously, he _had_ to know more, to confirm his suspicions despite the delicate situation and it was hard enough to get answers out of Frisk as it was, but he had to try, "Sounds pretty scary, Kiddo, what's this guy look like? He ever say anything?"

Frisk gave a little nod, like they were a bit surprised by his interest, "He wears all b-black and looks like he's melting and h-has a mask that looks sad..." They bit their lip and looked a bit more frightened as they seemed to remember more, "His hands... have big h-holes in them and he moves them around like he's trying to t-talk to me with them."

Sans had a hard time masking his shock as a chill went down his spine and the pinpricks in his eyesockets darted, almost panicked, his suspicions confirmed, "What uh- you mean like sign language?" He asked and told himself that it was most likely impossible for who he now knew this was to be able to do _anything_ in his current state.

They still didn't look up at him to notice his reaction and only nodded vigorously, "Sometimes he s-says something with his voice but it's always r-raspy and weird, like he has a hard time."

Sans hoped they would keep talking if he encouraged them, "Yeah? What's he say to you?"

They looked like they were resisting the urge to bite at their already stubby fingernails as they brought their hands to their mouth and whispered out their reply, "...I-I think one time he said 'help me' and 'timelines' and... 'nonlinear'?" Frisk struggled to pronounce the last word, as if they didn't understand it. "What does 'nonlinear' mean...?" They asked as they finally looked up at him.

Sans was trying to process their answer and didn't realize right away that they'd asked him a question. He cleared his nonexistent throat, "Uh, well, 'linear' usually means a straight line or lines so 'nonlinear' would mean that it or they wouldn't be straight." He told them and tried to sound focused as his mind ran a mile a minute with calculations and possibilities. They just nodded again and gave a little noncommittal hum and he knew he wasn't going to get anything else out of them.

That particular discussion happened only the other day, and he noticed they immediately seemed to feel a little better the next day, the dark bags under their eyes seemed to be a bit lighter so he didn't press subject of the dreams. He now tapped a newly acquired pencil on the table, what was Gaster doing contacting Frisk in their dreams and moreover, _how_?

There was always speculation among the public about how the former Royal Scientist had disappeared and the 'official' story is that when he fell into the Core, he died. Sans knew that the head scientist's very being was scattered across time and space, but now, he somehow managed to coalesce into one area and could only communicate through dreams, specifically, Frisk's dreams. Sans shook his head, his former colleague must have contacted them for a good reason and it no doubt had to have taken a lot of energy out of him. What did he mean by 'nonlinear' and just how could a _child_ help him? He reconsidered that thought, Frisk was capable of a lot and if anyone could help, Sans supposed it could be them.

He sighed and decided that now would be a good time to read Papyrus his story and head to bed. He had to admit again, he looked forward to seeing Frisk each day, supporting them and growing closer to the child. He still didn't know whether or not they intended on resetting anytime soon but, it didn't _seem_ like they were going to based on the reaction he got when he asked them that night a week ago.

* * *

Frisk could hardly get to sleep the night before, they were so excited! Today was finally the day, the day they got to go home, their _real_ home where the people who loved them were waiting. Frisk almost felt as if they were getting a new start, a second chance, before their decision to go to Mt. Ebbot and ultimately fall down that hole. They shook their head and remembered their conversation with Toriel last night, she had been so happy, she chattered on about what she wanted to do when they returned home. The still got shivers of glee whenever she told them that they were coming _home_. It felt so good to finally be somewhere with people who _loved_ them. They sat on their ugly green suitcase as they struggled to zip it closed. Toriel told them that Sans volunteered to pick them up because she said she would be 'busy' preparing something. It was a bit vague but they didn't question it, they would be with her soon enough! Frisk noticed how Mimi was nowhere to be seen and remembered her mentioning that she was going to meet with her brother and an attorney lady.

Absently and out of habit, Frisk wondered if Sans remembered them, but sure enough, as Frisk made their way down the hallway, they spotted the skeleton leaning casually against the entrance of the orphanage. He was sporting gray sweatpants, sandals and his signature hoodie as he scrolled through his phone with a smirk. Frisk thought about how close they'd become with him in just the few days that he spent with them, one on one. The child wondered what his opinion of them was and knew that he remembered other timelines, maybe more clearly than they did. He didn't have the ability to reset time like they did, as far as they knew, at least. The pessimistic part of their mind wondered if he spent time with them just to make sure that they didn't reset. They shook their head vigorously and almost had to tell themself out loud to _stop,_ to stop thinking that everyone was out to get them. It was difficult, though, they had to think and fend for themselves for so long before they met their new family and friends and old habits were hard to break. They gave a little sigh as they mustered up the courage to approach their friend and wondered when they would stop doubting everything.

Sans looked up when he heard the rattling of the wheels on their worn suitcase. Frisk stood there for a few moments, as if suddenly apprehensive. The skeleton noticed but showed no outward sign as he made his way to them. "You alright? Ready to go?" He asked with a tilt of his head and reassuring hint to his perpetual grin. They swallowed almost audibly and nodded, forcing a smile on their face as they reached for his hand that was now extended to them. His cool bony fingers closed around their small hand and he gave it a gentle squeeze, "Don't tell me you're nervous about leaving, are you?" They looked up at him and shook their head. He made a mental note of the return of the bags under their eyes, something else was eating at them. He didn't want to force it out of them but, he knew worry and anxiety when he saw it, he saw it in his own reflection every morning.

Sans took their luggage by the handle from them and there was the clacking of heels approaching and Frisk looked up to see Ms. Lily. She gave them a smile, "I'm so happy for you, Frisk. I hope it's everything you ever wanted and more." She told them and looked to Sans and gave him a nod, as if giving her approval. One side of his grin pulled up slightly and he nodded in return before giving her a two finger salute and tugging Frisk along in one hand and pulling their luggage in the other.

They stepped out into the morning light and Sans looked down at them, "So, you want to take the long way or a 'shortcut'?"

They thought about that for a moment as they eyed the nearby people watching them suspiciously. Frisk resisted the urge to stick their tongue out at them and instead looked up at their friend. "Um, w-well, Mama said that she was 'preparing' something and I don't want to interrupt her. We can take t-the long way."

His smile widened, how'd this kid get to be so considerate? He supposed they really looked up to the caprine woman, that she meant the world to them and they to her. "Alright, Boss, you got it." He said with a wink before starting off down the sidewalk hand in hand with them.

* * *

 **I think Frisk will be in for a nice surprise when they make it back to the village!**

 **I wanted to touch a bit on Scientist!Sans in this partly because I find if fascinating that someone who comes off the way he does would be super smart! Also partly because I _love_ science!**

 **Big thanks to 'Like a Pro' for your help with the idea for how to bring a bit of Gaster into the picture!**

 **I take any and all suggestions/ ideas into account for future chapters!**


	9. Homecoming

**WAIT! PLEASE READ!**

 **Ok, so I've got some big news! I've created a Picarto account and now I can stream my writing(if you don't mind spoilers). I do get some people watching it and it's so cool! I have also rekindled my interest in Tumblr and have an account there too! BUT! That's not the biggest news of all! I've methodically gone over each and every chapter for this story and added new parts. Some major (not utterly story changing, mind you), some minor. I would really, REALLY appreciate it if you were to take a looksie! (personally, I love rereading my favorite fanfics.)**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter! I worked really hard on it!**

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Frisk breathlessly ran through the forest just a little ways ahead of Sans. He shook his head with a chuckle as they jumped and swung from a low hanging branch, they were so full of energy, must be that human adrenaline coursing through them from the thought of finally going home after a long week and a half. They darted between the trees and leapt over a fallen log.

They skidded to a stop and looked back at Sans expectantly, their face flushed from running around. "Yeah, yeah, I'm comin', I don't have as much stamina as you do, kid." He told them as he stepped over the log and watched them run off again, "Hey, not too far, Kiddo, stay where I can see you, huh?"

Frisk seemed impatient but did as they were told and climbed up on another branch and sat to wait. They swung their legs but stopped and gasped as they realized that one of the reasons Sans was lagging behind was because he had their belongings. Frisk cursed themself for making him do that. They jumped off and ran back to the skeleton who stopped and looked down at them, confused, "What?"

They pointed to their luggage and made a grab for it. He seemed to know now what they were thinking and he snatched it out reach of their grasp, "Nope, mine now." Frisk pouted at him and folded their arms. Sans' grin only widened as he marched past them, whistling casually(despite not having lips).

The two reached the entrance to The Settlement and were greeted by the gatekeeper, Greater Dog. Frisk ran up to him and reached toward his face, fingers beckoning for him to lean to be petted. The dog monster obliged happily, and nearly leapt out his armor leaning toward the child, panting excitedly. Frisk petted him vigorously and they were rewarded with a multitude of wet dog kisses. The child wiped their face as GD straightened and composed himself and Sans watched them meander through the gate, totally oblivious to what awaited them.

Sans remembered talking about their plan with the rest of their friends and their parents the night before and Toriel had been the first to speak when they met at her house, "Now, Frisk doesn't do well with a lot of attention from everyone at once, please be considerate."

Undyne furrowed her brow in confusion and planted her hands on her hips, "But, didn't they like, save everyone?"

Alphys spoke next, looking up at her girlfriend and adjusting her glasses, "W-well, yes, that doesn't mean that they like to have e-everyone watching them... I k-know I don't..."

Papyrus scratched his skull and seemed perplexed, "But we're their friends!"

Sans took this time to say his bit, "Yeah, but bro, think about it; you remember that play when we were kids? I thought you were gonna pass out, you were so nervous in front of all those other kids and parents, even though I was right there in the front row."

Something seemed to click in the taller skeleton's mind and he nodded, "Ah hah! I see what you mean! They are simply more sensitive than we are to that sort of thing, even in the presence of friends, yes?" Sans knew his brother would get it, and he gave a slight smile. Man, his brother was so cool.

Undyne seemed to get the picture as well, "Yeah, I guess I get it. I would hate for them to wet themself! Fuhuhu!"

Toriel gave a slight roll of her eyes and shake of her head, "Yes, well, now that we all understand, we have to make sure everything is ready. Sans, you said you would be willing to go and meet them?"

Sans nodded, "Yep, you got it." He gave her a thumbs up from his place leaning back in the dining chair.

"Golly, I didn't know that they felt that way." Asgore rumbled quietly, his voice thoughtful.

Toriel sighed, "Yes, it seems we still have much to learn about them but after tomorrow, we will have all the time we could need to get to know them." She said, her voice slightly somber. She shook her head to focus on the task at hand.

Sans had to focus on the here and _now_ , that was something he had to constantly remind himself of. _'Thee, two, one.'_ He mentally counted down to when Toriel was supposed to greet them first.

"Oh! Frisk! Welcome home, my child." Their mother said from somewhere just inside the gate. Sans could almost hear the startled gasp from the little human at her greeting.

He didn't expect them to speak up, though, he never did. "Mama! I'm finally home!" They said gleefully as the skeleton wandered in with their luggage in tow.

He looked to see Frisk in Toriel's arms, peppering her muzzle with kisses and earning chuckles from her. His perpetual grin widened slightly at the sight and he waited for the next person to greet them.

"Howdy, Frisk! Welcome home!" Asgore boomed jovially to them.

"Papa!" Frisk exclaimed as they eagerly reached out to him from their place in their mother's arms. She gave another chuckle and handed them off to him.

Sans watched the trio and felt... happy for them. It'd been a while since he felt that in his soul, deep in his ribcage. Maybe now that they were finally happy, he wouldn't have to worry about them doing a reset. He had to shake his head again to stop himself from feeling so paranoid.

"I certainly hope there weren't any problems, were there, Sans?" Asgore asked the skeleton and Frisk watched him expectantly from their father's arms.

Sans looked to the King and remembered back in the old days, when he would report to the monarch, particularly about recent judgments, it wasn't as though it mattered anyway, then _or_ now. If Sans let them survive past himself and they somehow made it to the hall and he _did_ pass judgment, they wouldn't have survived their encounter with the king.

But... Looking at the three, especially Frisk, he was reminded of when Chara was still around, that kid meant the world to the king. Frisk must too, now. The skeleton finally shook his head in reply to Asgore, "Nah, no-one gave us a hard time. I'll text you the details if you want."

The king nodded, "I would appreciate that." He looked to Frisk in the crook of his arm, "Well, my little one, everyone has been waiting for you!"

Frisk's face flushed several shades of red and they buried their face in his shoulder before giggling, embarrassed.

A deep chuckled thrummed from the caprine monarch's chest as he carted them off. Frisk gave a pointed yelp to get his attention and he stopped to listen closely to them, "Hmm? You want to help Sans bring your belongings in first?"

Sans couldn't see them from the back of the king but guessed they were nodding vigorously. "Very well, hurry back soon, Frisk!" He told them as they were let down. They sprinted back to Sans and grabbed his hand. He let himself be towed off to their house and he had a feeling they wanted to say something to him as they made their way up the hill to the queen's house.

Frisk managed to get the suitcase from his grasp and lug it to their room, gesturing for him to follow. He shrugged and followed them into the house. "You wanna talk about somethin', Squirt?" He asked as they dragged the valise to rest by their bed.

They went up to him and took both his hands in theirs and looked up at him silently for a moment and his eye sockets met their brown eyes and he couldn't help thinking, _'Uh oh.'_

Frisk didn't seem to recognize his hesitation when they spoke up, "Thank you for being there for me." They said, their voice unwavering as they stared up at him.

For the second time in less than a week, the flush of light blue appeared on his cheekbones, he didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to say _something_ , anything to reassure them. "Wha- Hey, buddy, don't sweat it." He said as he bashfully scratched the back of his skull.

Frisk tugged on his hands insistently, "I know you're still worried... w-worried that there will be another reset but..." They trailed off and looked away, giving a sniff. Sans didn't say anything, but only silently waited for them to continue. Frisk looked up again, "I promise, I won't ever reset, ever again."

Now, it wasn't as though he didn't believe them, he wanted to, _God_ how he wanted to, it's just that, he couldn't, not until he was sure that whatever _thing_ that had been causing it (aside from present company, that is), was gone for good.

"I know." He said, lying right through his teeth, through the smile plastered on his face in an attempt to hide his doubt. This kid had been through a lot and he didn't want to add to that pile, not just yet. And, just like looking in a mirror, they gave him the same unconvinced expression as he would have if he were in their shoes.

Before they could call him on it, though, "Hey, King Fluffybuns is right, everyone's waiting." He said and tugged one of his hands free from theirs and pulled them by the other to follow _him_ this time. He would have to do more research, but for now, he had to put his hell on the back-burner, for them.

Sans led them outside the house and released them to go back to their parents, only to be snatched up from around their waist with a playful growl, " _Ngahh!_ C'mere, Punk!"

They shrieked and giggled in response and let themself be hugged by an exuberant Undyne. Sans saw it coming a mile away but chose not to say anything. Admittedly, it was mainly for a chuckle. He snickered as the child was relentlessly noogied by the former captain.

Frisk rubbed their head as they were let down, only to be greeted by the other children, who crowded around them excitedly. Sans craned his neck to see their expression in the gaggle of kids and he was surprised to see Frisk break through the little crowd and run off with a shout, calling for the other youths to follow. _'Guess they still had a bit of that DETERMINATION left in them.'_ He thought to himself as he watched the small herd trail behind the human child and, for the first time since leaving the Underground, Frisk was actually _playing_. The adults mingled, laughed and watched the kids run around like lunatics as they giggled and shouted.

Someone managed to find an old kickball and the group of kids made a game of kicking it back and forth to apposing teams and it reminded Frisk a bit of Kickball. They had sort of played it at the orphanage but always ended up being picked the last for the teams. In this case though, the monster children couldn't seem to get enough of their human friend and clamored for who would get Frisk on _their_ team. When the kids got tired of that, they played tag, or as the monster kids called it, tag. They told Frisk that it used to be 'catch the human' but since they got to the surface, they had to change it.

After a while, though, Frisk found themself needing to get some distance from everyone and inconspicuously snuck off. They leaned against the tree, obscuring themself from the crowd and music. They heaved a breath they hadn't realized they were holding in. They just needed to catch their breath, again.

"Hey Champ, you holdin' up okay?"

Frisk jumped when they heard the familiar male voice that came from next to them. They looked up to see Sans eying them with the pinpricks of light in his eye sockets, his usual grin slightly downturned in concern. He tilted his head to them as he waited for an answer, he just _appeared_ beside them! The child gave him a strained smile and nodded, trying to seem casual. He didn't look convinced and raised an eyebrow (somehow), "You sure about that?"

Frisk wondered how he always knew what they were thinking, was it _that_ obvious? Their smile faltered and they looked away and mumbled something. Sans didn't take his hands from the pockets of his jacket as he leaned forward to hear what they were saying. He straightened and looked down at them, "Why should you feel bad?"

They looked up at him, their brown eyes tired but worried, only visible from the light of the festivities. He gave a nod toward the direction of the crowd and the now growing bonfire, "Doesn't matter if you saved an entire race and went spelunking by yourself in the Underground, you're entitled to feel the way _you_ feel." They didn't reply as they looked back down at their feet and shuffled the leaves with their shoes. The skeleton suddenly took on a more serious tone as he abruptly put a bony hand to their shoulder, "Look, your actions don't define you, _you_ define you, yeah? Be yourself, there's only one _you_ out there."

They looked up at him and studied his face for a few moments. They gave him a shy but genuine smile. Sans nodded, satisfied, before digging phone out of his pocket to check the time, "Welp, time to get back before people start to worry where you've been." He said with a wink and Frisk suddenly grabbed his hand, as if his little 'pep' talk energized them. He chuckled as he was tugged along to go back to the party.

As the night progressed, Frisk sat next to Sans and watched the action with him from one of the tables, grateful for a rest as they forced a tired smile on their face when several of their friends and even their parents asked if they were well. Frisk gave responses such as; "I'm okay, Mama." Or, "Yes, Papa, I'm having fun." And, "Thank you Pappy, I already ate."

So, needless to say, Frisk was exhausted by the end of the evening and they were nodding off as they leaned against Asgore on the bench under a tree. The king had spotted them went to sit down with them to watch the party finally die down. Asgore smiled and gently gathered up his child in his massive arms. Frisk started with a jump but relaxed and snuggled into his chest as he made his way over to Toriel. The queen had been helping to clean up one of the remaining tables when Asgore stopped to stand behind her. She looked up when he approached and smiled at the sight of Frisk in his arms, almost obscured by his fur. She shook her head, "I suppose it has been a very busy day for them, very eventful." She whispered.

The king nodded but didn't say anything, knowing that his deep voice would still be too loud and he didn't want to risk waking them up. The two headed up the hill to Toriel's house to put the sleeping child to bed.

After helping them get ready for bed, Toriel put an exhausted Frisk to bed and quietly closed the door to their room and turned to Asgore as he waited in the hall, "Do you think they enjoyed the festivities?" She asked the king quietly, her voice lined with worry.

Asgore smiled at her, "I think we have shown them more affection in one night than they have experienced in all of their short life. I am certain they enjoyed themself thoroughly, perhaps all of this attention simply tired them out." He told her in the lowest voice he could muster.

She nodded and noticed how weary _she_ had become. It had been a long time since she had to socialize on such a level and she forgot how _tiring_ it could be, "I certainly hope so." She said as she led him to the door.

He ducked under the doorway, careful not to graze the frame with his tall horns before he turned back to her and bid her a bit of an awkward goodnight as he headed to his own home.

Toriel took this chance as she headed back down the hall, to check in on Frisk before proceeding to her own bed. They were out like a light.


	10. Strange Visitor

**Alright, I know it's been a long time since I updated so I hope everyone is ready! For once, I have plenty going on and got a lot done. The streaming in Picarto has really boosted my productivity and confidence in writing. I'm one of the few who regularly streams, usually in the evenings after work, usually 7pm eastern time. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!**

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Frisk tossed and turned before they opened their eyes. Their stomach dropped when they found themself in the now familiar room of gray with the stark black, lone hunched figure in the center, his back facing them. Frisk looked back over their shoulder to see the door fade, effectively trapping them with the mysterious individual.

Frisk gulped nervously, their breathing short as they wrung their hands and hesitantly approached the now rising man. Frisk noticed that something felt different this encounter, as if the atmosphere was somehow gentler. The human child stopped to stand in front of the robed man and he looked down at them with empty eye sockets in his bare skull. The cracks on his face were more evident this time, with one trailing down from his left eye socket to his jawline, the other creeping up from his right drooping eye, up and over his cranium.

The man was much taller than Frisk remembered, maybe it was their own fear doing that? While the looming figure never hurt them or really did anything that would indicate that he would, Frisk was always wary. He slowly gestured pointedly with his floating, disembodied hands, as if he was greeting them. Frisk relaxed a bit and gave him a shy wave but jumped when he suddenly swept his (nonexistent) arm over them. They ducked and flinched, as if they expected him to attack them. They looked up to see him watching them closely before he gestured to a nearby distorted and flickering image. He gave another wave and another image appeared, and then another, and another and before long, the entire room was nearly full of them.

Some of frames held pictures of Frisk themself, others with video captures, most of them being of the child and their journey through the Underground. Frisk slowly wove around the pictures, their face full of curiosity and caution, until they stopped in front of small group of images that showed a man almost identical to the stranger Frisk stood in the room with.

Frisk squinted their eyes as they tried to get a better look. He looked much less sickly and melted, normal even. The cracks on his skull and drooping of his right eye were still present although not nearly as prominent. He was standing in what looked like a darkened laboratory in one of the images. Frisk looked further over to see what looked like alternate versions or timelines of the same man; such as him seated on a couch in a familiar looking living room, holding a bundle akin to that of a baby, and the image immediately next to that was of him falling into a pit wreathed in fire and metal.

Frisk gave a horrified gasp, "Is-is that you? Is th-that what happened to you...?" They asked as they turned back and looked up at him. He seemed to have been watching them carefully and he suddenly looked very tired and somehow, older. He nodded once, his visage distorting for an instant, as if there was static tearing across his face.

He sluggishly pulled forward an image to hover in front of them. It was a still of him in a black lab coat with a beige turtleneck sweater underneath, with thin glasses and looking as if he was begrudgingly posing for a picture, like he had better things to be doing. He wore a nametag on the breast pocket of the lab coat that read 'W.D. Gaster'. It was a little hard for Frisk to make out because of the glare of the camera but they tilted their head curiously, as if they thought they'd heard that name before, somewhere. They frowned and looked up at him again, blinking, "G-Gaster? Is that your name?"

He nodded once to them in affirmation, his features drooping a bit more, as if all of this activity drained him of the energy it took to keep himself together. He seemed to be concentrating on trying to maintain his form when Frisk decided to speak up, knowing from the familiar flickering of the nearby images and of the unseen light in the room, that their time was short, "Y-you're stuck in h-here, a-aren't you?"

He didn't respond directly and only gave another sweep of his disembodied hand to dismiss the images before looking down at them expectantly, although for what, Frisk couldn't tell. The child shifted under his gaze before they wrung at their hands again, trying their best to muster up some of their old _Determination_. They felt the familiar warmth of their soul swell in their chest in reply.

When they looked up to him, they jumped back in surprise at the look his face; the frightening expression of shock on was evident in the pinpricks now in his once empty widened eye sockets as he towered over them. The substance he was made of looked like it was _boiling_ with his excitement as his head snapped to the side in a grotesque angle and he leaned forward, his mouth etched into a jagged grin akin to a Jack-O-Lantern, taking on an eager, almost greedy tone.

Frisk took another step back in fear as he extended and arm to them, an actual arm, connected to his once floating hand. Instinctively, the child jumped out of his reach. He was starting to take shape again and it seemed that the essence of their Soul may be part of the reason how. "W-what do you want?" Frisk asked shakily as they backed up. The elation now on his face was barely contained as he experimentally took a step toward them, the sound of shoes clacking on the strange floor sounding alien as it echoed in the now empty room, the screens nowhere to be seen. His feet were still unseen but it was clear that he was slowly returning to his original form.

Even though they weren't particularly familiar with his behavior, Frisk was frightened of the unpredictable, deformed skeleton but at the same time, they wanted to help him but couldn't shake the nagging feeling that prickled in the back of their mind that maybe there was a reason he was in here. They were startled by him again when he tried to speak vocally, clearly excited, "cHiLD, ThaT's iT! YoUr DeterMinaTioN is pUlliNG mY bEinG TogeTHeR." He told them gleefully, his deep voice garbled with static and interference before he started mumbling something, "iT seEmS aS thOUgh mEreLy beiNG iN yOuR preSenCe iS eNouGh tO Do iT..." Was what Frisk could make out of his under-the-breath ramblings. His head jerked up, the movement unnaturally fast, as if by some sort of 'glitch'. The glow returned to his eyes, the right in the sagging socket larger and now containing a tiny black pupil, only adding to his eldritch appearance.

The human child blinked and watched him carefully, ready to bolt, although to where, was another question. They remembered that the amalgamates in the Old Lab were a 'creation' of Alphys' and that they were made into those monstrosities _because_ of her experiments with the mysterious substance. Frisk wondered _where_ she got the Determination from to begin with? Then they remembered about the story of Chara, the first human to fall into the Underground, the 'Fallen Child'. Could Asgore have allowed Alphys or even Gaster to have experimented on his adoptive _child_? They must have gotten ahold of it somehow and Frisk knew there were other children with different traits unique to their souls, like 'Patience' and 'Bravery'.

Before Frisk could think anymore on the subject, their vision swam with a pang of nauseating dizziness. Gaster noticed them stagger a bit and he slithered to sit in front of them, what remained of his feet reverting back to the 'goop' he was composed of. He pulled up another image and held it in front of them insistently, it was of a hallway in a place that looked like Waterfall. Frisk put a hand to their head as they tried to focus on the picture, their eyes darting up at him to make sure he didn't advance any further. Frisk vaguely remembered making the trek through the place in the picture, but there was a large and gray out-of-place door right in the middle of the corridor. The room span as they fell sideways. Gaster dove forward with a gelatinous _'squish'_ to catch the child, just before they hit the floor- and opened their eyes to the familiar wooden ceiling of their room in Toriel's house.

They sat up but still felt the vestiges of vertigo and they tried to shake it off but ended up making it worse as they flopped back onto their bed. They instead closed their eyes and thought about the dream, was it even a _dream_ or a vision? They had no idea, all they knew was that the man that had been haunting their dreams had a name and he needed their help.

Frisk waited for their head to stop spinning as they lay in bed. The child sighed, time to get up. When they managed to make it to their feet, they got to thinking; was Gaster a bad person? Was it just that he was scared and would take any chance he could get at being normal again? Even if it meant hurting someone? Who was it that knew him before? He was a real person, for sure, but how he was able to contact Frisk was still a mystery to them.

They hadn't realized that they had been pacing restlessly in their room. They stopped and looked up at the time, it was about six in the morning, a little earlier than what they were used to but... They shook their head and decided to get dressed, it felt so nice to be _home_ again. The padded down the hall and pressed their ear to their mother's room and peeked in when they didn't hear anything. She looked like she was sound asleep, although it was a bit difficult to see due to the low light from drawn curtains.

Frisk parked themself in Toriel's reclining chair by the fireplace after picking out a book from the bookcase by the fireplace that they obtained from from the trades with the humans, it was about gardening. It was meant for adults but they preferred it that way, even if it was a little difficult to understand sometimes. They couldn't seem to concentrate on the words or the pictures, they kept going over their meeting with Gaster in their head. Why had he been like that? Was he _crazy_?

They were afraid to go to sleep now, but couldn't help the drooping of their eyelids. Maybe nothing would happen if they just closed their eyes for a _little_ bit... - They suddenly felt like they were suffocating in some sort of endless darkness, what was this?! They tried to cough but nothing happened and they felt like they were being smothered by something viscous. The place felt familiar and there was a presence they couldn't place, of someone? There was an electronic screech before they heard another voice, "Frisk! Please! Wake up!" Someone called to them, it was a woman, her voice was frightened. _'Mama...?'_ was all they could sluggishly think of, why was she so scared?

Frisk was shaken awake from their place in their mother's chair. They looked up to see Toriel with tears in here eyes, "Frisk! Are you alright?"

The child rubbed their eyes, "M-Mama? What's wrong?"

"Oh, my child, you must have been having a nightmare, you were struggling to breathe."

They shook their head dismissively, "I'm okay, just had a bad dream.."

She immediately scooped them up from their seat and sat herself down with them on her lap, "It's alright... You're safe and I will never let anything happen to you."

Frisk nuzzled into her shoulder as thanks and tried not to think about what had happened in their dream. Now that they thought about it though, was it really a dream or was it a _visit_? They had the feeling it was the latter and that Gaster might be trying desperately to absorb them to return. They could feel the man's terror when they slipped from his grasp and woke up, as if he would be trapped in the Void for a literal eternity.

Frisk's mind felt fuzzy from lack of sleep. They were hoping to get a decent amount of sleep, that feeling safe at home would drive away the nightmares and keep the man in said dreams at bay. He obviously wasn't having any of that though. They tried to shake their head through their mother's hold but failed, they instead tugged on the sleeve of her ever present robe to get her attention. They gave her a reassuring peck on the muzzle when she pulled away from them. She smiled a bit sadly as she looked down at them and let them slide from her lap. Her floppy ears perked a bit when she remembered something, "Oh! I believe your friends wanted to spend some time with you today."

Frisk stopped in their tracks on the way to the doorway leading to the entryway, peeking over their shoulder at her, their brows knit together in slight worry. She noticed and got to her feet, "Don't worry, Frisk, I told them that you would most likely be very tired and want some time to readjust to being at home."

The child's shoulders relaxed significantly, she knew them so well. They were so grateful that they had chosen her as their mother, she was always watching for them, picking up on anything.

They helped her make a breakfast of farina porridge with fresh blueberries. They stood on their step stool and washed and went through the wild berries they helped her pick the other day from from the nearby woods.

Frisk helped her clean up their two bowls and silverware as they thought about their next step, they knew that Sans liked science-y stuff so, maybe he knew about this kind of thing. They hoped he wasn't napping or something and absently wondered what he _did_ during the day now that he didn't have to be on the look out for humans. Frisk decided it might be a good idea to text him, they weren't good at it but were willing to try. They excused themself from Toriel and went to their room. They sat on their bed for a good ten minutes before they even pressed any of the buttons on their phone, why were they so nervous? Maybe it was because they were worried about what he might say. They knew not to tell Toriel about this because they knew she wouldn't allow them to go back Underground to help a possibly dangerous individual.

Frisk shook their head and took a breath, this was Sans they were talking about! Laid back, 'punny' Sans! They gave a nod in agreement to their thoughts before slowly composing the message, their tongue poking between their lips in concentration, "sans, are you busy?" They typed, their finger hovering over the 'send' button. They took a breath and with a boost of _Determination_ , they nearly smacked the button and began pacing their room.

Their phone pinged in response a few seconds later, "nah, what's up?" He probably thought it was strange for them to contact him out of the blue like this.

They slowly worked on their response, biting their lower lip in concentration, "can you come over?"

There was a beat of silence before he replied, "sure, be there in a min"

Satisfied with his reply, they set about nervously tidying their already neat room while they waited for him. They didn't get very far when they heard a knock at the front door. Frisk blinked and peered out into the hallway to see Toriel going to and answering said door, "Oh, Sans! How nice of you to come over. What can I do for you?"

Frisk could almost hear the grin in his voice, "Thought I'd come over and say hey to Frisk, it's their first day back home, after all. _Oak_ couldn't _leaf_ well enough alone. _"_

Toriel chuckled, "Well, I've _goat_ some idea why you are so _poplar_!" She chuckled and stepped to the side to let the skeleton in.

Frisk was poised and ready to strike, like a cat half crouched in the doorway of their room, they took his distraction to their advantage and bounded over to meet him, nearly tackling him in a hug, "Sans!"

He almost caught on a second too late when he heard the pattering of their fast approaching bare feet on the wooden floor. He braced himself and caught them with a grunt, stepping back to catch himself from getting bowled over by the surprisingly strong child. "Geez, kid, miss me much?" He chuckled.

They gave a giggle and took hold of his hands and pulled him along down the hall and into their room, leaving Toriel to watch them and chuckle before going to sit back in her chair.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about? I know you didn't bring me here just for my _dazzling_ personality." He said with a wink as he made himself comfortable on edge of their small bed.

They were digging around in their desk and pulled out a sketch book. They flipped through it and brought it over to him after settling on a certain section. He raised a brow and took it from them. He almost dropped it when he saw what they drew. The picture was of a semi-humanoid black and white... thing, with a mask-like face and two soulless looking eye-sockets. It seemed like they were clawing desperately with the crayon, the strokes deep sinking deep into the thick paper. Sans cleared his nonexistent throat, "Uh- Kid, what am I looking at? Is this the guy you've been seeing in your dreams?"

They had their hands behind their back as they watched his expression intently when he looked up from the drawing. He looked back down at the scrawling on the paper. Geez, either this kid had some dark dreams and a few metaphorical skeletons in the closet _or_ they had been in a place where he thought he'd never have to go or frankly, he _should_ be able to go. It was only a theory, the Void. A place in between timelines, a sort of purgatory. Nothing was technically _supposed_ to exist there. It was the only logical explanation of where this _thing_ was. "Did you see him again?"

They nodded, "...I-I haven't been dreaming of a-anything else anymore." They replied quietly and Sans noticed the return of the bags under their eyes.

He wanted to shake his head but kept still, _'Gaster's got a lot of nerve.'_

"E-even when I closed my eyes for j-just a little bit for a n-nap..." They cringed a bit at the thought and shook their head, returning their attention to the sketchpad, "T-there's another picture and he told me his n-name." They said as they sat next to him. A chill went down Sans' spine, he knew the answer but hoped that it wasn't _him_. "He s-said 'W.D. Gaster'. He showed me a p-picture and he was wearing a l-lab coat or something." Sans heaved a mental sigh and closed his eyes in defeat, making sure to keep silent.

They looked to him and watched him carefully, clasping and unclasping their hands at their chest nervously, "Did you know who he was?"

If it was the picture that he was thinking of, Sans remembered when they took it, Gaster looked like he was going to throw a fit because they were 'tearing him away from his vital experiments'. If Sans had a throat, he would be using it to gulp nervously now, "Yeah... He was a scientist. You've never heard of him though, he was gone before you were probably born." (which technically wasn't a very long time, less than ten years)

Frisk nodded and looked particularly anxious as they shifted in their spot next to him, as if they were trying to scooch away, "H-he showed me w-where he is."

"He wha-" He caught himself and shook his head and pinched at his nasal bone irritatedly as Frisk reached over and turned the page, they seemed to know he wasn't happy about the situation but still wanted his help. Frisk was usually pretty good at drawing but they couldn't seem to nail down the point they were trying to get across, "What, uh, what is this?"

They puffed out their cheeks indignantly, "It's a hallway in Waterfall!"

He allowed a little smile at their reaction, "Hehe, think you missed the mark here. What is that gray thing? Is that a door?" He asked and squinted at it. He thought it looked a little random in the crude drawing they made of the hallway which just consisted of a dark and light blue rectangle in their attempt at overhead perspective.

"Y-yeah, I don't remember every seeing a-anything there when I went through there."

Sans hummed thoughtfully, his osseous brow furrowed, this wasn't good. He never expected the dreams to mean a whole lot, especially since kids usually had overactive imaginations. Not in this case, obviously.

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 **I enjoyed writing this one, I really wanted to integrate Gaster into this and make him pretty creepy. I hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Anticipation

**Thanks so much for being so patient with me! I hope I keep this nice creative pace I've been on. This chapter is sort of 'the moment of truth' type of deal I think. This also turned out longer than I initially intended but I hope you all enjoy!**

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Sans looked at Frisk, meeting their now hopeful expression. Why did this kid want to help _everyone_? "Look Kiddo, I'm not gonna lie, this could get potentially ugly. Did he try to hurt you or anything?"

They looked away and twiddled their thumbs nervously, "W-well. I don't t know if he was _going_ to but..."

"Don't gimme that, what'd he do?"

"W-well, he started acting a little strange when I t-tried to help him.."

"Strange how?"

They still didn't look at him, "W-well, he kept trying to get closer to me, maybe g-grab me? His face turned scary."

Sans tried to imagine how Frisk would have been able to help Gaster. He sighed and realized that the only way they would be able to help him was either to get help or... No. He didn't want to think about that.

"Listen Frisk, I know it's been tough, but I don't want you anywhere near him. We don't know how dangerous he is."

Frisk stood from the bed and stared him down, summoning some courage and more of their _Determination_ , "B-but, he's just scared! He needs help! I want to help h-him..."

Sans openly sighed now, this was _not_ what he needed. He'd hoped that nothing would come out of their the dreams _or_ his but nothing else could explain how Frisk _knew_ the things they knew about the former Royal Scientist. He had no choice _but_ to think about how else this kid could help Gaster, their Soul. Sans always knew that Frisk was different but, where did they get such a huge amount of _DT_? Did they always have it or did they get it when they fell? He suddenly thought of the First Fallen Child, Chara. Didn't _they_ have a lot of _DT_ too? Was it the same kind? Where had Chara been buried again...? He sort of remembered when it happened, the Queen decided to bury them in the Ruins, but where...? He mentally growled, _too many questions!_

Sans stood from Frisk's bed and began pacing the room before he shook his head again, "I gotta think about it, okay?" He shot them a look, one that was uncharacteristically stern, "Don't even _think_ about going down there by yourself. Tori'd have my _head_ if I let anything happen to you." He said as they opened their mouth, most likely to argue. If it was one thing he knew about Frisk is that they 'liked' to suffer alone. Frankly, he was startled when they texted him for help, even reaching out to anyone was a huge step- one in the right direction of course. He also knew that if they hadn't said anything to him, they would have gone down there alone and he could almost see the panic ensuing from their mysterious absence. Granted, they'd done it before, but then they _needed_ to do it alone that time. This kid had friends now and they had to learn to trust them. "Look, Frisk, Buddy, if anything, _I_ would be the one to go down there."

Frisk gave him a scowl that said, 'not without me, you're not!'. "I think I'm the only one that can help him! M-my _Determination_ is what he w-wanted, I th-think." They said and moved to stand in front of him and suddenly grabbed his hands insistently.

Now it was Sans' turn to stare at them after glancing at their small hands over his longer bony ones, "You're as stubborn as a Woshua on laundry day, you know that?" Their hopeful look returned but he spoke up again, lifting both their hands, "Hold up there, Trigger, I need to think of a plan. For now, I want to ask _you_ a few questions."

Frisk tilted their head curiously at him, their usually hidden brown eyes now watching him intently as they waited. Sans' usual smile didn't appear, so whatever it was, it was serious, even for him. They noticed that he was doing this more and more lately. "You said you remember things and that you know about the 'Resets'. You also know that _I_ know about them." He said, his tone almost terse, _almost_.

The child next to him inched away uncomfortably but nodded in reply as he watched them, now holding their hands in _his_. "I know you remember things... Bad things... About what I did before..." They said quietly.

"Do _you_?" He almost didn't wait for them to finish when he said his reply.

They tried to pull their hands away from his but he now had a firm grip on them, waiting for an answer. He knew that would cause them to panic, or at least he thought it would, but they instead slumped their shoulders and hung their head, seeming defeated, "I... I do... But... I-I wasn't-"

"It wasn't really you, was it?" He interrupted them, his brow furrowed and any trace of his signature grin was gone, his teeth now aligned to a neutral line.

"B-but, I couldn't- they said-" They tried to speak but it ended up coming out in unfinished spurts of half sentences as they started to hyperventilate.

Despite the situation, Sans gave their small hands a squeeze to try and settle them down a bit, "Kid, take a breath, who?"

They clamped their mouth shut and their eyes didn't meet his eye-sockets but he noticed they were trying to slow their breathing, trying not to get more worked up. "Their name i-is Chara, they said t-they wanted to help, b-but, it was a lie."

"You said you couldn't, couldn't what?" He didn't miss a beat, he'd seen that answer coming.

Frisk bit their bottom lip and shook their head vehemently, "I couldn't make them s-stop! They s-said it was just to see w-what would h-happen."

Sans didn't have an answer for them, his theory was right, Frisk _wasn't_ actually the one responsible for the systematic murder of everything in the Underground during that timeline. They'd just been some kind of vessel for Chara's rage. He could almost imagine them trapped in their own mind, forced to watch the horror unfold, all with their own small hands.

Frisk wasn't done yet, though, "They _hated_ everything and everyone and they w-wanted to _erase_ everything."

Sans' usually stationary jaw shifted in thought and he didn't answer the now sniffling child. He let their hands go as he looked past them. Why had the first child been so _angry_? Were they really that 'damaged' before they fell? Did they really _hate_ all of humanity? He didn't realize immediately that Frisk had been tugging on his hand again, "S-Sans...?" They asked timidly when they saw he wasn't paying attention.

He looked down at them, his expression eerily serious, "Do you know anything about them? Did they ever say anything?"

Frisk wrung their hands after snatching theirs away from his and they didn't look at him, "...They would only t-tell me that the monsters didn't deserve t-to live, that no one did, and that I was the only one like them."

"Do you have any idea what happened to them? Are they gone? Do you hear them anymore?" He suddenly asked and realized he just bombarded them with questions. He cursed himself, he was supposed to take it slow so they wouldn't clamp up on him.

Frisk didn't say anything for a few moments and, just as Sans was going to hold his breath, they started speaking again, as if they knew how important this information was, "I-I dunno what happened to them, they stoppped talking and I don't feel them in my head or chest anymore." They said quietly, their small voice thoughtful.

This kid was full of surprises. His shoulders relaxed a bit, "Thanks for the info, Frisk." He said as he turned to look at them and gave a thoughtful noncommittal hum before giving them his usual smile, although it looked more than a bit forced. "Don't worry about it, Frisk, I'll look into it. I know _you_ don't have it in you to hurt a Whimsun, much less the entire Underground." He said and ruffled their hair before turning to leave.

Frisk slowly followed him down the hall and watched as he blinked out of existence, leaving only a thin cloud of mote-like particles in his wake that winked blue and yellow for a few seconds in the sunlight before dissipating before Frisk's eyes. The child stood there with wide eyes for a few moments, unable to comprehend what happened for a moment. They realized that he _teleported_. They'd always wondered how he got to the places he did so fast when they were in the Underground. He always knew where they were almost all the time on their journey.

The skeleton rematerialized again, this time deep in the bowels of the Underground, in a place that he probably shouldn't be in, the True Lab. This particular room had been locked behind doors and heavily encrypted passcodes. It had been closed after Alphys and her _Determination_ experiments failed, miserably. Sans turned a worn notebook over in is hand, he had to go far back into his memories to translate W.D. Gaster's strange handwriting. It was never his favorite 'pastime' and the the older skeletal scientist had a tendency to write in code and always made it difficult to read, like he did it on purpose... Sans shook his head and got back to digging through the notes, drawers and desks of his colleague's private lab. The room somehow managed to collect dust and if Sans had lungs, he would be in a coughing fit right about now.

He often wondered why Alphys hadn't cleaned it out, maybe she was afraid of what she would find. Then again, she had her own secrets to worry about and honestly, Sans thought Alphys was always afraid of the older skeleton. Though, to be fair, Gaster _was_ a pretty intimidating guy, after all. Not just in his personality, but in the way it showed in his work, both often coming off as cold and calculated. It's not to say he was a mean guy _per se_ , he was well spoken of and he _did_ have his moments of uncharacteristic humor (often in the form of pranks on the few other scientists).

As Sans collapsed into an office chair to look over another notebook full of tattered and scrawled pages, Sans had trouble focusing on deciphering Gaster's notes and couldn't keep his mind from wandering, he thought _he'd_ been the only one to receive messages in his dreams from the former Royal Scientist and he was shocked when he heard Frisk tell him of theirs. It seems 'G tried to communicate with anyone that would listen, the only ones being Sans and Frisk.

Sans had a theory though; the Core was W.D.'s creation, and it was also his downfall, he _had_ to have instilled some form of his essence in the enormous machine in order for him to be corporeal in some way or another, right? Sans tried not to think about his work on the Core and the subsequent experiments that followed on Souls and humans and their remains, it wasn't... pleasant.

Maybe Gaster's time in 'The Void' drove him mad, maybe it sharpened his mind, who knew? All Sans knew is that he didn't want Frisk anywhere near him but knew the child would want to help him if he was reaching out to them. Tucking the notebook in his hoodie pocket, he moved onto the next section of the lab and looked over the burnt and dusty beakers on the table before moving onto the old computer. Wow, Alphys _really_ hadn't been in here, she would have taken that thing apart to cannibalize it for her own. There had to be _something_ on _here_ , right? He powered on and dusted off the old machine and scrolled through the logs, surprised that they weren't encrypted. His eyes widened at what he read, no wonder Gaster wanted to use their Soul and its _Determination._

Toriel noticed Frisk in the hall and Sans gone. She looked around quizzically, "Where did Sans go off to?"

Frisk's eyes widened, they hadn't thought about what to say or how to explain it, their mouth opening and closing silently. They cleared their throat, "Uh, he said he h-had to do s-something..." It wasn't a lie, really. Why did it feel like one?

Their mother blinked and frowned, "I didn't hear the door, I must not have been paying attention..."

Frisk relaxed a bit and gave her a smile. They could almost feel the bags under their eyes weighing them down but they knew that if they went to sleep or even closed their eyes for too long, they would see him again. This _had_ to stop. They stopped themself from shaking their head and worrying Toriel with their mental discussion. Sans said he would think about, he _knew_ this was important to them, right?

It had been a few hours since Sans left Frisk's home and the child paced restlessly in their room. They jumped when their phone suddenly pinged. They rushed to it where it sat on their desk and flipped it open to see the text message from Sans; "i think i found some info on mr goop, i'll be over to pick you up. don't worry about tori, i'll talk to her"

There was another knock at the door and Frisk could hear Toriel's feet shuffling on the wooden floor when she went to answer it, "Oh! Sans! Back again so soon? Did you forget something?"

Sans feigned bashfulness as he rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I told Frisk I'd take them down to see our old house, it's still in one piece."

Toriel didn't seem to notice his act as she looked down at him with a puzzled frown, "I see. Frisk, did you not want to rest today?"

Frisk fought back the guilty expression that threatened to surface to their features, instead opting to shake their head shyly. Ok, now _that_ was a lie. They hated lying to her but these sleepless nights were really getting to be too much for them.

They saw Sans shrug out of the corner of their eyes, "I mean, if that's what they want, _I'm_ fine with staying topside."

Frisk's eyes widened and they wanted to shake their head at him and argue but he interrupted them by speaking again, " _But,_ who knows when I'll have the time to do it again, huh?"

Toriel stepped aside to let him in the house again, her brow knit together suspiciously, "Well, I suppose... I trust you, Sans. Please just tell me further in advance."

The skeleton sauntered in past her to stand in front of Frisk, his grin settling back into place. They looked up at him and he nodded toward their room, "Well, you ready to go?"

Frisk perked up and dashed back to their room to gather their things. They had been planning to go down to Waterfall whether or not Sans took them. They knew they would have been taking a risk going by themself but they were desperate to stop these 'visits'. They didn't want to bring too much, it would slow them down and draw suspicion from Toriel if they did.

Sans waited for them by the door, Toriel got up from her chair as Frisk left their room with their rucksack on their back. Sans looked up from his phone when they approached, "Welp Tori, we'll be off. I'll make sure to bring them back in one piece. Might stay at the house for old time's sake if you're alright with it."

And so the two trekked up the path leading to the Underground, past the once-barrier. The Underground was still sparsely populated by monsters who either weren't ready for or chose not to leave. Frisk walked hand in hand with Sans through the darkened MTT Hotel . The child had taken to more and more physical contact with their family and friends and family, whether it be through hand holding, cuddling or otherwise. Sans felt himself growing more and more attached to them, maybe it was because they were so similar to him, maybe it was just because they were a good kid. Either way, he hoped he wouldn't regret it. He looked down at them as the two of them walked past the broken fountain, "You sure you don't wanna take a shortcut?"

They glanced up at him nervously, "W-we can, if you want..." They mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

He looked down at them as they walked, "You nervous?"

They didn't look up when their face flushed and they nodded, "...Yeah..." Frisk replied as they headed out the main door and down the path to Hotland. The extremely warm trip through the lava covered area was fairly uneventful, only a few overly eager Vulkin greeted them as they passed by, still blissfully unaware of their ability to burn instead of heal.

Frankly, Sans was anxious about this particular meeting as well, he was simply better at hiding it. He had years of experience, after all. "Don't worry, Kiddo, I got your back. You've got mine, right?"

Frisk's courage looked a bit more renewed as they looked back up at him and nodded eagerly, "Yeah!" They replied as they walked past the scrolling 'Welcome to Hotland' sign at the entrance to Waterfall. The pair was moving quickly through the Underground and Frisk seemed to be becoming increasingly more nervous the closer they got to their destination. Frisk felt the damp air of Waterfall and seemed a bit more relieved as their flushed and sweating face was cooled after such heat from Hotland.

They finally arrived to the hallway in question and Frisk nervously peered out from behind Sans the closer they approached. Sans was half hoping that the door that Frisk had seen wasn't actually going to be there, or actually be _real_. But, sure enough, a few feet away, a large gray door flickered into view, firmly embedded in the wall of the cave.

The two stopped to stand in front of the door, "Alright Frisk, I'll go in and check it out, you stay out here." He said as he moved to open the mysterious door.

Frisk grabbed onto the back of his jacket and used almost all of their small weight to try and stop him, "Wait!" They exclaimed as they pulled at him to stop.

Sans was a bit surprised at the physical pull this kid had but he complied and stopped with a mental sigh, knowing that they wouldn't go for his 'tactic' of leaving them out. He turned to face the child, "Look, we don't know how dangerous he is. He might be so desperate that he'll try anything if he thinks it'll bring back his form, even if it means hurting you to absorb your Soul."

Frisk didn't miss a beat with their hands planted on their hips, "Will it help him?"

Sans massaged his temples, "I dunno, I really don't, Kid. All I know is that I don't wanna risk losin' you." What he didn't tell them is what he found in the lab, though.

Frisk paled and looked away, as if they realized something and they looked almost shocked as they stared back up at him, "You're- you're afraid I'll reset again, aren't you..." They said quietly.

There was the rustling of his jacket and Frisk yelped when he suddenly grabbed hold of their face and carefully turned it to face them, his hands squishing their cheeks and his expression stern yet gentle, "Listen here, Buddy, you're better at keeping promises than I am, so I trust you when you make one. You plan on keepin' it, right?"

They nodded as eagerly as they could through his grasp, "Mmhm!"

"Yeah, I know y'do." He said as he let go of their face and watched the color return to their cheeks. "You gotta admit, this is some _Frisky_ business." He told them with a wink of his left eye.

Frisk nodded and learned a while ago that any sort of 'vulnerability' from him, particularly on his left side, where his power seemed to originate from- even in the tiniest sense, like a wink, was a big sign of trust from him, whether he meant it or not.

The skeleton paced in a small circle and stopped to look to Frisk, "Now, he probably can't leave through the door, whatever happened to him is most likely keeping him stuck in there." Sans said as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and looked down at them, "Do you still use that ability? You know, to save a point in time?"

Frisk shifted from one foot to the other and looked guilty, "I... I did last night, before bed." They replied quietly as they worried the edge of their striped shirt.

Sans just nodded, he wasn't sure how it worked or why they had the ability to 'save' a point in time but he knew that it would have come in handy for him to have. "Alright, good." He said and took hold of their shoulders, "I know we were just over this but listen real close, Frisk." They looked up at him apprehensively, their eyes wary. "You listening?"

They nodded.

"Good, I know you wanna keep your promise but, I wanna keep _you_ around even more. So, if anything happens to you, you _have_ to reset."

Frisk looked like they were about to argue and shake their head at him but he put a hand up, "Nope, no 'buts', Kiddo. Imagine how heartbroken Tori and everyone else would be if you didn't come back." The child froze in realization and didn't say anything as he continued, "Look, like it or not, I doubt you have any actual _say_ in it."

Frisk still remained silent, they knew he was right. Whenever they died in the Underground, there was always a reset and it wasn't always by choice, sometimes they didn't even remember doing it. However, they did remember _other_ things...

 _Their eyes struggled to stay open as they looked up from their place on the ground, their skin still sizzling from Toriel's fire attack. She had a paw to her mouth, her expression horrified as she stood over them with tears in her eyes, as if she hadn't actually_ _ **meant**_ _to kill them._

"Frisk, _Frisk_!"

Someone was shaking them by the shoulders now. They blinked and looked up at Sans. He eyed them, his brow creased with uncharacteristic worry, "Where'd you go? Thought I almost lost you there." He said and put a hand to their face and rubbed circles with his thumb on their cheek, he knew that look when he saw it. He had a feeling they'd seen it on _his_ face before.

They seemed a bit surprised at his sudden touch, they weren't quite used to him doing things like this, sudden physical contact and whatnot. They put a hand to his arm and gave him a determined smile, "We can do it!"

His grin returned and looked a bit more genuine as he pulled away, "Yeah, you got it, Bud."

They both approached the door and Sans took this time to look down at them, "Alright, we have to be careful though, alright?"

Frisk nodded nervously as he slowly opened the door.

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 **Sorry for the cliffhanger but I had to end it somewhere! Until next time!**


	12. Back to the Present

**Oh look, another chapter! It helps a lot to leave something like a review. (Frankly, the nice ones make my day xD)**

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It was pitch black for a moment before Frisk's eyes adjusted to the monotone gray they were used to seeing when they met with Gaster in their dreams. It felt stranger in person. The hunched form in the center of the room twitched and his form seemed to tear for a blink of a moment as he rose and turned to look at them, his eyesockets empty. Frisk summoned some of their courage but was careful to keep their _Determination_ on a short leash. Sans didn't say anything as he stepped in front of the child protectively, "I won't let him hurt you, alright?"

Frisk only nodded as Gaster watched them, his masklike face impassive as Sans slowly made his way over to him and stopped to stand a few feet away, "So, this is where you've been all this time, huh? Why didn't you say you needed DT to come back? I would have gotten it for you."

Gaster shifted as he watched the shorter skeleton, his gaze flicking back to Frisk before he made several gestures and motions with his disembodied hands, seeming unable to verbally speak, _"Need live Soul to return."_

The child noticed the melted man watching them and they flinched and moved a bit more behind their friend. He was moving his hands around again, like he was trying to talk, they didn't understand what he was saying but Sans seemed to have understood.

Unseen by Frisk, Sans frowned and signed back as to not alarm Frisk with his response, _"You want to kill Frisk? Kind of_ _ **need**_ _Soul to exist."_ Gaster was about to reply when Sans sharply and silently interrupted the older man, _"No, I will not let you harm child, you will_ _ **not**_ _take Soul."_

The once scientist eyed his younger former colleague, _"Do not want to kill, simply return."_

 _"How you intend do that? Cannot separate Soul without death."_ He signed, his words becoming muddled from frustration.

Gaster almost interrupted Sans in return, _"Must be willing to help."_

All the while they were communicating, Frisk was connecting the dots, watching them intently. Sans' signing became more frantic and choppy, he was getting mad. Gaster just looked annoyed. Frisk frowned and walked closer to the deformed figure and held out a hand, "I don't know how, but I know I want to do whatever I can to help you come back."

The melted man looked down at their hand with only the now present pinpricks of his eye-sockets before eying their face, his gaze boring into their eyes. He startled them by speaking, "yOuR DeTeRMinAtiOn- YoUr sOuL-" He said raspily, his deep voice strained.

Sans grabbed Frisk by the shoulder and yanked them back as Gaster reached to them, "Watch it, Bub." He said, his voice uncharacteristically gruff as he moved Frisk behind him and glanced over his shoulder and down at them, "How do you want to do this?" Sans asked and cursed himself for not coming up with a better plan for this.

They peered out from behind him, "I think... His soul needs to be healed." They said as Gaster slowly slunk toward them.

Sans' brows furrowed, "With what? Yours? How d'you plan on doing that?" He snorted unamusedly and looked to the other skeleton as he continued to inch his way over to them, his movements akin to that of a slug. "Don't try anything funny, 'G." Sans said quietly as Frisk stepped out from behind their friend and walked back up to Gaster.

Suddenly and without warning, Frisk leapt at the unsolidified skeleton. This action caught even Gaster off guard and he moved to catch them. Sans shouted something as the child landed on his torso with a _splat_ causing Gaster to scramble to hold onto them.

There was a moment of panic before Frisk found themself standing in a void of darkness with the older skeleton towering over them, the only illumination was that of the human's Soul with its red glow. Gaster looked down at his own chest to see the reverse heart form of his own broken Soul, loosely held together by an unseen force as it weakly pulsed, seeming tired. The scientist looked to be in his normal form, his posture straight and whole. He wore his glasses and lab outfit and he looked to his arms and legs, seeming surprised at his own appearance. Frisk supposed it was what he was wearing when he fell into the Core. They tried not to dwell on the thought, the amount of fear he must have felt when he plummeted into his own creation.

"I can't _give_ you my Soul but I can help you. You said my _Determination_ was the key to helping you." Frisk said quietly as they cradled the red heart-shaped core of their being in their small hands.

Gaster was immediately suspicious of them, "Why help me?" He asked evenly as he looked down at them, the features of his face barely lit up by the crimson luminance of the child's Soul.

"Because you want to come back." They replied simply, a small smile touching their lips as they looked from their Soul up to his face.

He stared at the child, his bony, amorphous brow quirked cautiously, that was _it_? There had to be another reason, right? Humans never help for _nothing_ in return, why would _this_ one? But, he had to admit, he had been watching them from his place behind the gray door, unable to leave or do anything, just _watch_ everything unfold, this human was different from the ones that had previously fallen. They reminded him of Chara, the first Fallen Child. But this one, this one helped any and all monsters they came across, without hesitation or doubt, as if they felt compelled to do so.

He mentally shrugged, who was he to stop them from helping him? What was the worst that could happen? He could _die_? He almost laughed out loud at the thought, _anything_ had to be better than this limbo he found himself in.

It was only in this place that he could willingly summon his Soul to become visible outside his body. He pulled at the pieces of his shattered core and willed them forward as he knelt before the human. Frisk stared at the unrecognizable monster Soul, it wasn't quite a boss Soul but it looked pretty close. But, it was barely held together and there were scars on some of the larger pieces. Frisk wasn't sure what they should do at this point but they did the only thing they could think of; they mustered up some of their _Determination_ to fill their own now beating Soul.

They bit their lower lip in concentration as they inched forward. Would they die? Would they lose the ability to 'save' or 'reset'? Would it hurt? So many questions as they tried to mask their fear at the possibilities of what would happen. It was almost like they had to take a bad tasting medicine as they clamped their eyes shut and all but shoved their Soul into his, it was all or nothing. There was an immediate reaction from both parties; Gaster recoiled in what seemed like pain from the touch and Frisk shrieked shrilly and instinctly and immediately tried to pull away. It felt like they were getting sucked into his being the moment their Soul touched his.

Sans got knocked backward several feet from a sudden explosion from the two after Frisk abruptly jumped onto the melted scientist. Sans tried in vain to pry the child from the viscous substance that made up his former colleague's body, _"Frisk!"_ He shouted as he tried to dig them out, their small form quickly sinking into the gelatinous mass. Sans hadn't noticed during his efforts that the masklike face of Gaster sank down the mound of goop, his disembodied hands soon following, any trace of life in the eyesockets of the deliquesced man now gone as his form bubbled of its own accord.

Every instinct in the human child _screamed_ at them to get away from him or they _wouldn't come back_. But, as if magnetized, Frisk willed themself through sheer determination to not pull themself away, they weren't done, he wasn't ready to come back, _'His Soul isn't healed yet!'_ They cried out in their mind. They felt like they were losing themself, their identity fading as they pumped more _Determination_ into his Soul. Only when they were shoved back did their Soul disconnect with his. Dazed, Frisk could only look up with their eyes from their place on the 'floor' of the 'dream'- to see the skeleton nursing something glowing and white in his holed hands. He dropped arms to the side to reveal his Soul, slowly beating and cracked, but whole. Frisk found they couldn't move, their eyes only able to helplessly dart about in fear, their eyelids betraying them and slowly closing. Did he want to hurt them? Their thoughts raced in a panic as he slowly approached, the child's vision blurring and darkening. Their muscles screeched in pain and exhaustion, they'd never healed anything before, much less with their own Soul.

He startled them when he knelt next to them and gathered them in his suprisingly strong thin arms as the endless darkness faded to the nearly blinding gray of the 'Void Room'. Frisk was just beyond unconciousness, the 'light' barely visible from behind their eyelids.

Sans watched as the goop that once comprised Gaster melted away and disolved into the floor with a _hiss_ to reveal the slender man kneeling with Frisk in his arms. _'How in the- They actually_ _ **did**_ _it.'_ Sansthought incredulously as Gaster slowly stood and walked to stand in front of Sans.

A shiver ran down Sans' spine when the older scientist spoke up, his voice _exactly_ the same as it had been years ago, complete with the slight rasp and lilt to it, "We must leave now or we will never be able to."

Sans snapped out of his trance, "Wha- Oh yeah, c'mon." He replied dazedly and headed for the exit, or what was left of it; it was cracked and now crumbling. He would have to muse on that later as he wrenched the door open and ushered the two out. Both of the skeletons watched as the door flickered out of existance without a trace, as if nothing happened, as if it never existed. The shorter of the two took this opportunity to check on the unconcious child in Gaster's arms. They _looked_ fine, physically. He would have to check their Soul and interrogate Gaster later, for now, it was time to get them back up to the surface. Sans held out his hands for the child, "I'll take em', we gotta go topside. I take it you're caught up on current events?"

The older skeleton blinked and handed Frisk off to Sans, "Indeed."

"Can you still take those 'shortcuts'?"

Gaster was dusting off his already pristine jet black lab coat and looked to Sans, "I suppose we'll find out, won't we?"

Sans shrugged, "Welp, meet you in the throne room." He said with a wink of his right eye and nod of his head and in an instant, he was gone, the only trace of him being the thin cloud of magical essence left behind.

Sans blinked back into existance in the middle of the golden flowerbed, his slippers bruising their petals as he stood in the Throne Room. He walked over the the empty throne and gingerly set Frisk down on it. He put a hand to their chest, feeling it slowly rise and fall. If he hadn't extensively studied humans in the past, he wouldn't have detected the slight wheeze in their lungs, must have been from exertion. "Geez Kid, what'd you _do_?" He murmured softly and focused his energy to their sternum, gently pulling at their Soul with his magic, it still beat much like heart but it seemed tired, its actions labored. It also somehow felt shriveled, he couldn't place the feeling, but he knew it would be a long time before they could do anything like what they pulled- again.

There was a _puff_ of fabric and Sans looked over his shoulder to see Gaster straightening the collar of his labcoat. Neither said anything as the older man walked over to the two. He looked down over his glasses at Frisk, "Their _Determination_ and youth were the only thing that kept them from being absorbed."

Sans suddenly whirled around, his left eye ablaze in azure fire, "You would have _what_?!"

Gaster stood his ground and gave a dry chuckle despite his younger colleague's clear anger, "Don't you think I'm _grateful_ for their efforts? The last thing that I want to happen to them would be death or worse, the same fate as I."

There was a whimper from behind Sans. He suddenly turned from Gaster, back to the child, cupping their face in his bony hands, "I'm here, Frisk. You okay? You really had me worried."

They seemed to be fading in and out between conciousness and otherwise. "... S-Sans... It h-hurts..." They croaked and looked as though they were trying to move.

He shushed them, suprising himself with the amount of tenderness in his voice, "No-no-no, don't move, Kiddo. Whatever you did really did a number on your body, I got you." His voice was quiet as he shifted to take them in his arms as gingerly as possible.

Frisk tried to cry out in pain but their exhaustion stifled it to a low groan, tears of pain streaming down the side of their face.

Without a word, he started off for the exit, he didn't want to risk hurting them further by teleporting again, if it did a number on him, he hated to think how it would affect _them,_ why hadn't he thought about it earlier? _'How the hell am I gonna explain this to Tori?'_ The thought echoed in the back of his mind but the sound of Gaster's shoes on the gold tiling drew him from his cerebration. He glanced over his shoulder to see the taller man following, not too closely, but only a few feet away. He was eying San's back with a glazed look in his drooped features before he locked pinpricks with his.

Sans stopped and turned to face the scientist, "Wait." Gaster hesitantly stopped and watched Sans, his eyesockets narrowing with caution as he waited for a continuation. "How are we going to explain this to Asgore? Everyone thinks you're _dead_."

Gaster steepled his hands together in thought as he mulled this over. He had to admit, he hadn't been expecting to exist anymore. "While it isn't my strong suit, perhaps the truth would suffice."

"That you had been stalking a human child in their dreams- the savior of the Underground no doubt, and that they brought you back to life? Is that what you want me to tell them?" Sans almost didn't wait for him to finish, trying to keep the sarcasm from dripping into his tone as he stared him down.

"Really, there are stranger things that have happened, even _I_ know that, Sans." The spindly skeleton didn't miss a beat as he replied with a sigh.

Frisk stirred before Sans could snipe something in return. He carefully shifted them to support them against his chest, their chin over his shoulder. "I can't tell you what to do, but I won't let you near Frisk as long as I live, _capiche_?" He hissed to the older man before turning and continuing his trek with his precious cargo.

Gaster blinked and frowned but didn't reply as he followed him to the long corridor that once contained the barrier. He'd been to the barrier before, mainly for study and (failed)attempts to break or get past it. The magic at the time he had been there with it no longer shuddered through his bones, nor reverberated through his Soul. It was silent, strangely so in it's absense. He never thought he would see the day that he would make it over the threshhold again.

The sun was setting over the horizon as the three made their way out of the mouth of the cave from the Underground and the walk through the forest was silent save for the crunching of leaves and soil as they traversed the worn path back to the settlement. Every now and again, Frisk would give a quiet whimper and mumble something to Sans. He didn't stop to look at the child cradled against his hip like a toddler, "Don't worry about Toriel, I'll talk to her, try and get some rest, Champ." He said quietly to them as he carefully stepped over a log.

For the first time in a long time, Gaster seemed unsure. He thought he would be mesmerised by the view of the surface, being able to see the sky and smell the mountain air after so many years, but he was left feeling... empty. He was left alone with his thoughts again, he had been alone in the Void for so long, it was second nature to him now, only at this time, he was in his original form and outside. Despite all of his efforts, in the back of his mind, he never really _truly_ expected to break the barrier. Maybe it was the dwindling amount of Hope amoung the monsters or maybe he was tired after trying for _so long._

"We're here." Sans told him as they stopped to stand near the entrance of the settlement, "I need to take them home, _you_ go explain this to Asgore." He told him, the pinpricks of his eyes boring through the older man's face, almost daring him to dispute his order.

Gaster stiffened and narrowed his eyes at the shorter skeleton, unappreciative of being ordered to do something, but he didn't argue as he walked past him.

Sans watched him head toward the direction of the King's home. He knew the taller scientist knew were everything was, knew that he'd been watching from the Void. How he was able to was another question. Sans shook his head and rubbed Frisk's back reassuringly before shifting them a bit in his arm before heading down the path toward Toriel's house.

Sans knocked on her door without hesitation and waited for her to answer. It wasn't long before she opened the door to see him, "Oh, I was beginning to get worried, it's getting late-" She stopped in mid-sentence when he walked past her into the house.

She watched as he headed to the livingroom. "Sans, what-"

It was then that Frisk whimpered in his arms.

Toriel's eyes widened and she rushed over, "What in the world happened?" She asked as she carefully took the child from him and stroked their face carefully before placing them gingerly on her recliner. "Sans, you have some explaining to do... _What happened."_ She said to him, her voice dangerously low as she turned to face him.

If Sans had a throat, he would be swallowing nervously, but he kept still, his expression impassive. "It was my fault, I should have kept a better eye on them." He replied evenly.

"You did not answer my question, Sans." She said carefully as she folded her arms, her brow knitting together in irritation.

The skeleton considered her question, his expression unchanging, "We got a little carried away helping someone. You might remember him."

She narrowed her eyes a his vague answer but didn't pursue it as she turned back to her child. Her gaze snapped to the door when there was a loud banging behind it and someone shouting, she had a feeling who it was.

She approached the door and looked through the peephole to see Asgore standing impatiently behind it, looking agitated. She squinted when she saw someone else beside him, obsured by the narrow view of the tiny window. She opened the door, "Dreamurr, what is it? Why are you b-" She froze in midsentence when she caught sight of a familarly thin individual dressed smartly in slacks, a beige turtleneck and long black labcoat. Said individual adjusted his glasses (somehow, without ears to actually hold them up). Her jaw went slightly slack as she tried to comprehend who stood before her.

The King cut through the near awkward silence, "Toriel, I don't understand the specifics but somehow, W.D. survived! Is it not wonderful?" He asked breathlessly as Toriel snapped her jaw shut and composed herself.

"Wing, how did you-" She shook her head and stepped aside for the two men to enter.

Throughout this whole exchange, the former royal scientist remained silent, the pinpricks of his eyesockets watching the Queen's expression blankly.

She walked past the livingroom where Sans sat cradling Frisk in his arms and lap in the chair. He looked up from watching their face to the trio as they walked by, narrowing his eyes at his former colleague. Gaster either didn't notice or completely ignored the shorter skeleton before he disappeared through the doorway to the kitchen with the King and Queen. The three sat down at the dining room table and Toriel looked from Asgore to Gaster pointedly, "Care to explain?" She asked quietly of either of them.

The King looked to the skeletal scientist, "Yes, if you would be so kind as to relay the story once again, Wing."

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 **Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed this one! If I don't think I'll be able to update, I'll post it somewhere like on deviantArt or my Tumblr page. Stay tuned!**

 **P.S. I'm also working on a Mystery Skulls fanfic, it's not much right now and I'm really trying to get to know characters but it's fun.**


	13. We Need to Talk

**Alright! Not sure if anyone checks out my other profiles on deviantArt or Tumblr but I'm going to try to update every Wednesday or if I can't it will be up the following Wednesday. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**

 **ALSO! I do want to remind those who read this that this is story addresses the more domestic problems that Frisk and the Monsters might encounter. Sure there'll be action and difficult times but it mostly focuses on the above subjects.**

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W.D. Gave a slight nod to the King and cleared his throat but it didn't help the seemingly permanent rasp his voice had, "Yes, of course. There was an unfortunate accident some point nearly ten years ago and I... fell into The Core." He steepled his hands together on the table before continuing, "As a result, my very being was scattered throughout a localized portion of time and space. It was a very long time before I was able to pull my Soul into one particular pocket of time, the very one we exist in as we speak."

Toriel stared at him for a moment before nodding for him to continue. He gave another nod in return, "Because of the incredible amount of a substance we call _Determination_ held within Frisk, they were able to hear my pleas. I was able to contact them only in points where their consciousness was weakened, such as when they slept."

The caprine woman's eyes widened, "How long have you been speaking to them in their dreams?" She asked, ignoring his drawn out explanation, her voice bordering on annoyed.

Gaster seemed to give a sigh, "Although time was difficult to grasp in my place in the Void, I would say it was roughly two weeks."

Toriel bit back a huff, "And how is it that Frisk was able to help you return?" She asked as she folded her arms, clearly unhappy at the prospect of her child coming to any sort of harm.

The skeleton didn't hesitate with his reply, "I came to the conclusion that _Determination_ from a deceased subjec- individual, would not have been strong enough. They would have had to been willing to assist me- I needed their consent, so to speak."

Toriel sighed and pinched at the bridge of her muzzle, of _course_ Frisk would want to help him, they wanted to help _everyone_ , even if it put them in danger. While she found this particular trait endearing and admirable, it was also worrying. "What is wrong with them? Are they harmed?"

Gaster stared at her for a moment before giving a half-hearted shrug, "I can't be sure, I've never encountered this type of situation, I will have to keep an eye on them. I'm sure Alphys will assist as well."

Asgore took this time to speak up, "If there is any lasting damage, I am holding you personally responsible." He told the scientist warningly, his voice a low rumble, like distant thunder.

Gaster didn't even flinch, the tiny lights for his pupils flicking to the King, "I doubt there is any permanent injury to their Soul. When they have rested more, I will perform an examination of it." He told him dismissively, his tone deadpan.

All three of them looked up when Sans shuffled in with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He leaned on the frame of the door, his trademark grin nowhere to be seen, "They'll probably be out of it for a while. They're gonna need to recoup that _Determination_ they used bringing _him_ back." He said icily, directing his sentence to the other skeleton as he sat at the table.

Asgore nodded, "I trust that you will keep watch of their condition." He stated more than asked, addressing the spindly scientist.

"Yes, they will need to be closely monitored. I will need to run some tests and record all of their symptoms in detail. But, it is as Sans said, they most likely only need rest to regenerate their _Determination_ that was depleted."

"You still have not explained _what_ has happened to cause Frisk to be in this condition." Toriel said as she crossed her arms and eyed him irritably.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again, readjusting his interlaced fingers as he thought of how to word his explanation, "You see, all humans and monsters possess _Determination_. Humans have a much higher concentration in their Soul and bodies. Frisk is the one of two that I have seen in my lifetime with such a massive amount."

The Queen noticed he neglected to mention who it was other than her child it had been to have such power. She nodded once for him to continue.

"That being said, _Determination_ has a certain effect on monsters in certain doses, it can cause them to lose form if too much is applied and until now, we had been only experimenting with _Determination_ from recently deceased humans or from their contained Souls. Never had there been an instance where a live human Soul has come into contact with another Soul. Case in point, their very Soul healed mine. Had I not forcefully separated them from me, I would have most likely inadvertently absorbed their Soul into mine."

Both of the Boss monsters looked horrified. Gaster made no move to defend his return but he did meet their anxious stares.

Sans didn't seem surprised, he'd heard this same explanation and filled in the gaps with his own theories, "So, bottom line is, their Soul brought him back. He might have a piece of theirs with him."

Asgore looked both confused and furious as he looked between the two. Toriel seemed to be silently seething, not meeting either of their faces.

"What's done is done, and no amount of being mad at him will help Frisk recover." Sans suddenly said, his tone matter-of-fact.

The King shot him an annoyed look before taking a breath to calm himself and settle his nerves. "Yes well, there seems to be much that needs to be addressed." He looked to Gaster, "From what you have told me, I can only come to the conclusion that you need to be observed closely as well given your vast amount of time in isolation."

W.D. gave another shrug, "Fine by me. I am in no hurry."

His reply seemed to have startled Sans and his eye sockets narrowed in suspicion. He asked himself _why_ he wanted to even come back. But, he supposed that if someone was stuck in a place where there was no concept of time, a sense of helplessness and lack of contact with _anyone_ , they would want to get away as soon as possible. No wonder he tried so hard to get out, even if it meant hurting a _child._ Sans couldn't put his finger on it but something was definitely _off_ with Gaster. He imagined that anyone who was in his position now would be anything _but_ normal.

"There is also the matter of _where_ you will be staying. Do either of you have any suggestions?" The King asked with a sigh as he looked between the two skeletons.

"Maybe Alphys has an extra room or something, I dunno." Sans said with an aloof lift of his shoulders, sounding as if he couldn't care a less about where the other man stayed. He certainly didn't want him anywhere near Papyrus _or_ him so staying at their house was out of the question, even though his younger brother would probably be ecstatic to have guests, no matter how _creepy_ they were.

Toriel looked thoughtful but her brow was still tugged together with concern and traces of irritation, "Yes, we will need to have Alphys come, she will need to hear of what has happened to both Frisk and Dr. Gaster." She pulled her phone out of her robe pocket and carefully dialed the reptilian scientist's number.

There was a rather awkward moment of silence while the Queen waited for her to pick up. If Sans knew Alphys, she probably would be frantic at the sight of Toriel's name pop up on the caller ID but just at that moment, Toriel perked up when it seemed the timid reptile finally got the courage to answer, "Ah, yes. Alphys, will you be able to come to my home? We have an-" She glanced at Gaster, "-an unexpected guest. Yes, right away please, of course." She replied with a nod and hung up her phone, a sigh through her snout made it clear that this was something she was not particularly looking forward to. She looked up and over at the skeleton in the doorway, "Sans, would you please take Frisk to their room? My chair is most likely not the best place for them in their condition."

He lingered for a moment before he pulled away from the door, "Yeah, sure." He replied quietly and disappeared from view as he headed to the living room. He made sure to check the status of their Soul again. He held a hand to their chest and carefully gave their Soul a tug with his magic, it felt a little stronger in just the short time he took them from the mountain. He gently gathered them in his arms, "Up we go..." He couldn't help wincing at the whimper they made from being moved.

He quietly closed their door after placing them in bed and tucking them in, his brow furrowed with worry, this wasn't good. They'd never done something this drastic before that _he_ knew of, would there be lasting damage? He really wished that something like this had happened before, even if it ended badly, so he could at least have something to compare it to. After ensuring that they were somewhat comfortable, he made his way back down the hall and made his way toward the kitchen and leaned against the doorway just as Alphys was sitting down.

"So good of you to make it, Dr. Alphys, I'm sorry for such short notice... Dr. Alphys?" Toriel tilted her head at the shorter woman who was gaping at Gaster, at a loss for words as to the _how_ and the _why_ of it all.

Asgore cleared his throat to jar her from her staring, "Dr. Alphys, if you would, we have much to discuss."

She blinked and snapped out of her trance, "Huh? Oh! I'm s-sorry, r-right." She replied quietly and shifted in her seat, stealing a glance at the older scientist who sat still in his spot. The only sign that he acknowledged her presence was his fingers twitching on their place atop the table top and the slight nod of his head.

"So now the question we have is where Dr. Gaster will stay, we needed your input on several things at this time, Dr. Alphys." Toriel said somberly, obviously still worried about Frisk's wellbeing.

"Oh... I h-have a r-room in the lab up h-here if you w-want to use it, Dr. Gaster." She said and made sure not to actively look at him as she spoke.

There was silence and Alphys wasn't sure if he'd heard her but, "It will do, thank you, Alphys." He replied, his voice coarse with fatigue despite the contrast of his straight composure against his tone.

"Good, there is also the matter of monitoring Frisk's current condition. According to both Sans and Dr. Gaster, this situation has never occurred before."

Before Alphys could question what he was referring to, "I'll draft up a full report on what I remember of the incident. We will both have to observe their reaction and status of their Soul frequently. The only side effect seen so far is exhaustion and body and muscle pain."

She nodded in reply before looking to Frisk's parents, "I'll make sure to keep a c-close eye on them, d-don't worry, Your Majesties."

Asgore gave a slight bow of his head to her, "Thank you, doctor." He cleared his throat, "Now then there is also the matter of observing Dr. Gaster himself, he has been isolated for quite a long time from what he has told me." The king rumbled quietly before looking to the three scientists.

The reptilian woman properly looked to her colleague, "What? What h-happened? We thought you died!" She blurted and covered her snout with her hands, the scales on her cheeks reddening.

He didn't look over and gave a small sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly, "The Core was my downfall, I was a bit careless. It seems those involved insured that this information would be the extent of what the public would know."

She looked away, her brow furrowed behind her glasses, "I m-mean, I had th-theories but..."

"We both know that there was no 'death' involved, Alph." Sans suddenly said from his place in the doorway.

She jumped and looked over at him, "So you m-mean th-that.."

"Yeah, the Void is real, it's where he's been for the past ten years. Surprised he hasn't gone crazy or fallen down since he got out." He said with a scoff and folded his arms as Gaster's eyes darted over at him, his expression blank. Sans stood his ground and didn't look away, as if daring him to try something. The shorter of the two narrowed his eyes, "'Dunno how Frisk got him out in one piece, they said they needed to heal his Soul. It probably shattered when he fell so he's been stalkin' their dreams for the past week and a half."

Gaster shrugged and broke the staring contest as he looked away, "As I've said before, it was only then that I could make any sort of contact, such as when they slept."

Alphys gasped, "You w-were able to establish some s-sort of contact?"

He looked at her, "Yes." He replied simply.

She blinked and raised an eyebrow at him expectantly. She looked over at Sans who shook his head with a shrug, she wasn't going to get any more information out of him, not until she read his report. She wrung her clawed hands together nervously, "W-well, I suppose I understand about what you m-mean by m-monitoring Dr. Gaster if he's really b-been in isolation for ten years." She said quietly but abruptly put up her hands defensively at her colleague, "I-if it's alright with you, that is." She added hastily, glancing up at him. He met her glance for a moment before looking away. She remembered working with Gaster for a few months before the 'incident' and she didn't exactly know him very well but even _she_ knew that his quiet behavior was disconcerting.  
The dino-scientist looked to her king as if she just realized something, "B-but, your Majesty, I'm not a psychiatrist. I m-mean, I'll do my best and d-document everything I can but I'm not qualified to treat someone..."

Asgore didn't seem worried, "I'm sure you'll do fine. Not to worry, we'll find someone suitable to do so." He assured her with a small tired smile.

"...Of course, I understand your caution." W.D. said suddenly, his voice sounding more tired and somehow even raspier.

"...U-um, I'll go on ahead and get th-the room cleaned up, there isn't much in it, just a cot..." Alphys mumbled as she stood from her seat and hurried past Sans, making a beeline toward the door.

Gaster suddenly rose from his seat and gave a slight bow to the two, "If you'll excuse me." Before he walked out of the kitchen, taking the same path as Alphys.

Sans moved as the taller man walked past, not even sparing the shorter skeleton a glance. Said skeleton shifted his jaw as he watched him leave before he turned back to the caprine couple, "If it's alright, I'll stick around to keep an eye on 'em tonight."

Toriel perked up a bit, "Oh, thank you, Sans. I would appreciate that. I'll get the spare blanket for you."

Asgore rose from his seat carefully as to not break the chair (or table for that matter), "I would like to see them."

The woman nodded, "Yes, of course, but please make sure you are quiet."

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Frisk opened their eyes from their dreamless sleep to see the wooden ceiling of their room. Their eyelids still felt heavy and they felt like a statue when they tried to move, their limbs and muscles stiffer than they'd ever felt them before. They opened their mouth, "... _Mama_?" They croaked, their voice hoarse and raspy, barely a whisper. What _happened_?

There was a startled snort from nearby, "Oh, Frisk, hey, you're awake." They struggled to sit up to see Sans sitting in their desk chair, he'd moved it to be near the foot of their bed, had he been there all night? He shifted before he stood to gently force them to lie back down, "Nuh-uh, don't move, I know you're sore." He tilted his head at them, a nervous smile on his face, "You want me to get Tori?"

They could only manage an 'mmhmm' as they winced, pain etching into their features. Why was everything still screamingly exhausted? Was what they did yesterday really _that_ bad? It must have been, judging by how they felt now. Sans left the room and they could hear his footsteps, faster than usual, padding down the hall to where they assumed was the living room. They heard his voice, it sounded excited for some reason, and before long there were two sets of feet quickly approaching the child's room. Frisk stared at the ceiling while they waited, seeing Toriel would help them feel a little better.

The door didn't quite burst open, but it was certainly close, as Toriel entered their room, her eyes wide with concern as she went to their bedside. "Oh you had me so worried, Frisk! I did not think that you would wake up." She put a paw to their face, her brows drawing together in concern.

They gave her a confused look, "...H-how long w-was I as-sleep?" They managed to rasp out.

Her features looked crestfallen at their question, "Oh, Dearest, you have been sleeping for nearly a week now."

If they could have, they would have bolted up in bed, they'd never slept for nearly that long. Their eyes widened and they could only grunt in surprise. Toriel noticed their sudden change, "Oh, Dr. Gaster has told me that your Soul needed to recover, he has been quite attentive."

Frisk looked past her and over to Sans who was watching their exchange, his expression bordering on grim at the mention of his former colleague. "S-Sans...?" They asked, their small voice sounding more timid than they would have liked.

Toriel followed their gaze and turned back to the skeleton just as his face reverted back to its normal expression albeit a bit more tired. He forced a smile as he shuffled over to them, "Hey, it's all good. Good news is that you'll make a full recovery."

The Queen turned her attention back to Frisk with a tired smile, "Yes, and Sans has made sure that you have been safe. I am very grateful for his help in watching over you." She said as she stroked their hair, "Alphys had said that it would not be good for you to be unattended while you recover, it has been a very 'touch and go' sort of week. We were quite worried for you."

Frisk blinked blearily, their muscles still tired, "M'sorry Mama..." They mumbled and looked up at her.

She tilted her head to the side and gave a sad smile as she sat on the bed carefully, "I am simply glad you are still with us, Frisk."

The child didn't say anything but they were slowly and steadily gaining more and more mobility and limberness in their arms and legs but it was then that their stomach decided to make itself known by rudely grumbling. Their face flushed and they looked up at Toriel again, who gave them a gentle smile, "It is good if you have an appetite. I'm sure you must feel quite stiff, would you like to try walking?"

Frisk nodded and tried to sit themself on the edge of the bed, nearly pitching to the side and consequently, off the bed. Toriel merely watched their efforts, knowing they would want to do this themself. Using the bedpost for support, they managed to stand on their own two feet but they were soaked in sweat from their efforts now. They gave their mother a weak smile and moved to wipe their forehead but nearly fell back. Toriel caught them by the arm before they hit the ground, "Goodness, I think that might be enough for now, don't you?" She said as she carefully scooped them up.

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 **Thought I would add a tiny twist with the whole 'Frisk being unconscious for almost a week' type deal... Hope you guys liked it! It really helps to leave a review!**


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